On September 6, 1996 the Raleigh, also known as the City of Oaks, was dealt a direct hit by Hurricane Fran which had landed near Wilmington, North Carolina. Uncountable numbers of trees great and small, old and young were felled by the devastating storm. Some recovered electricity within hours. Others waited weeks. Cleanup lasted over a year with at least four sites in and around the city which were dumping grounds for the many fallen trees.

Nature and life can do other things as well. A good friend related a story to me in late spring of 1997 about one such act of nature. We were mourning the many trees that were lost and quite incredulous that dump trucks were still – nine months later – carting away tree-debris to one of the designated sites. He related what a friend had noticed. His friend had been hiking through familiar woods where Fran had felled many a majestic tree. His friend became aware with delight that he was seeing many more wild flowers than before in these same woods. Although losing the trees was a genuine loss, it was followed by new life of wild flowers which may not have occurred with the trees still intact!

Wild flowers attract us because of their appearance, with such beauty, in unplanned places. Their colors can clothe a large mountain meadow, a small cove or line the edges of a creek with royal brilliance. Wild flowers evoke innocence, authenticity and naturalness in a world where much has been changed by humans. Wild flowers make us feel alive perhaps as birds might or an exuberant porpoise.