Spring has arrived in all her glory. Because we are in the North woods of Wisconsin, spring first starts with the ephemerals – the short-lived flowers that bloom before the tree canopy has reached its fullness. They’re usually found on the edges of the woods where they can collect as much sunshine as possible, and often they line the sides of our county roads and highways.

It’s a beautiful and changing thing to see, reminding me of the 1960’s (yes, I’m that old!) when Lady Bird Johnson promoted planting flowers in urban areas and along the sides of the highways to add color and beauty. She said “Where flowers bloom, so does hope – and hope is the precious, indispensable ingredient.” And hope is one thing I always associate with springtime as we pass out of the dark and cold of winter.

The blood root and white trillium have already bloomed and faded. The violets, hepatica, northern starflower, wild geranium, and pink lady’s slipper are now coming into bloom. But my favorite is the native wild lupine. Like sentinels, they stand upright along the road providing a lovely burst of blue and purple, and even some white. Two years ago we collected native lupine seeds, dried them, and then scattered them along the edges of the road leading to our lake. We nervously looked for their plants the next spring. Some germinated and some didn’t. But wild lupine takes two years to bloom, so we waited another year. And we’re now rewarded with their cheerful and welcoming blooms as we pass on the road. Hopefully they will scatter their seeds this year, and we will continue to enjoy their announcement of spring and hope in the coming years.