“The Coreopsis are blooming in the park,” he said in a flat matter-of-fact tone as if making a scientific pronouncement.
The group nodded in agreement, but I’m not from the Sarasota area of Florida. As far as I could tell, he was speaking a foreign language. I had no idea what he was talking about.
The red-headed singer-songwriter in the group looked up from her guitar. A smile spread over her face from ear to ear, and her voice beamed with joy, “The Yellows? The Yellows are blooming?” The delight in her voice was infectious.
Now that’s a language I can understand. I could already imagine a field of delicate yellow flowers flowing across the landscape replacing the prehistoric skeletons of Coreopsis–a word that I had already forgotten.
“The back entrance to Myakka River State Park is only 15 minutes away from here. Would you like to go?” asked my friend, Carrie.
“Yes,” I said without a hesitation.
I would later learn that “the Yellows,” commonly called “tickseed,” are the official Florida state wildflower. As the dry season gives way to beginnings of rain, they bloom for 2 – 3 weeks in mid-May, then the Yellows lay dormant for the rest of the year.
If you are in Southwest Florida, catch the bloom in the park this season. If not, enjoy the pictures. And if you can’t find a picture, remember to use vivid sensual language in your stories … “The Yellows are blooming!”
While you are at Myakka River State Park, check out the canopy walk for a view above the tree line and look out for gators near the water. Discover the difference between the natives saw palmetto and the sable palm. Join the birdwatchers. Enjoy the nature. Tell a friend…