Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is an ephemeral wonder and a wild beauty. It appears in flower very briefly in early April and is bashful at dusk and on cloudy days, wrapping stems in leaves and hiding sunny faces. It is a wildflower in the truest sense as it will only be found where wildness is preserved or not to far gone to be recovered in some small measure. On a morning saunter this week, my son and I were reminded that wonder is ephemeral and that wildness is the only way forward.

Happily, wonder and wildness are close at hand. New Tree School is devoted to helping you find it where you live. In the coming weeks we will practice the art of wonder near Omaha and near Madison with small groups in deep woods and open prairies:

April 25th, Spring Birds and Wildflowers at Hitchcock Nature Center, Honey Creek, Iowa.

May 9th, Backyard Ecology at the Aldo Leopold Foundation, Baraboo, Wisconsin.

Consult the Winter/Spring offerings page on this site for more details.

Seek wonder, be wilder.