Rockdale Citizen

The last chapter of the Old Testament book of Proverbs ends with a description of a Godly mother. The passage begins, "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies" (31:10 KJV).The passage ends, "Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates (31:30-31).

The wildflower for this weekend is a delicate pink, the color that is most associated with femininity.WILD PINK

Silene carolinianaNote the tube or bladder shaped structure (calyx) at the base of the bloom. This is a characteristic of the pink family which covers more than 2,000 species worldwide. In the U.S., our most familiar examples are carnations, sweet Williams, four-o'clocks, campions, chickweeds, soapworts (bouncing bet) and pinks.

Wild pink is less red than fire pink but more red than merely pink. The current term is hot pink, a favorite color several years back.

This wildflower appears in clusters and is a perennial. Once you discover its locations, you can return each year between March and early summer to enjoy its beauty unless it is radically disturbed.

The appearance of wild pink is often confused with wild phlox. It is easy to understand the confusion because both have five wedge-shaped petals and both bloom in clusters.

The best way to tell them apart is that the wild pink's petals are narrower than the phlox's, allowing space between the petals. Wild phlox's petals are broad and slightly overlap.

Second, the wild pink has the bladder-shaped calyx and the phlox doesn't.

Third, the wild phlox's color is less red, but one can tell the difference only when the two blooms are set side-by-side.

The scientific name of the wild pink is associated with the Carolinas. The wild pink was first identified in North Carolina when the rocky uplands were being explored.

The rocky areas of the east metro in which we live provide a habitat for this wildflower, but do not expect to find them in abundance, since our elevations rarely exceed 1,000 feet.

Truly, the believer who keeps on learning throughout his or her life will recognize that "the earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." (Habbakuk 2:14)

Orrin Morris is a retired Baptist minister, local artist and art teacher. Notecards are available of the wildflowers published in the Citizen. His email is odmsketchingpad@yahoo.com or call him at 770-929-3697.