Sunday, April 26, 2009

Land of Flowers, and a Vanishing Way of Life


Not all of our spring wildflowers are purple. Here are some beautiful yellow ones, although I'm not sure exactly what they are—they could be blackeyed susans or maybe coreopsis, the state wildflower.

"Florida," after all, translates from the Spanish as "land of flowers." Evidently the early Spanish explorers were so impressed with the native flora that they named this area for its flowers. I hope that over time, more and more people will come to appreciate and encourage these wild beauties. 

I love the old barns in the background of this picture. They stand as silent reminders that an old, honored way of life—that of the family farm—is fast disappearing, although not entirely gone.

I have been heartened recently to see that there is a growing movement that encourages people to eat locally-grown food; perhaps this will inspire more farmers to stay in business.

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