Last year I wrote a report on the 2022 Wildflower Show with this opening paragraph:
“If there is one thing that stands out when looking at a large collection of wildflower specimens it is their delicacy. Wildflowers are small, mostly tiny. They are exquisite but they are very economically put together. There is no over-the-top-ness in a wildflower. They may be breathtakingly beautiful but they are not the least bit showy or exuberant in the way that Dahlias or Orchids or Zinnias can be. They are giving their beauty and nectar to the world but they are making sure that they sustain themselves and survive at the same time. The Garden Section of the Anderson Valley Unity Club is made up of mostly women of a certain age that is marked by maturity, patience and a whole lot of life experience. It is striking to me how these guardians and promoters of wildflowers are very much like wildflowers themselves. The women of the Unity Club can see and appreciate the small details, the fragility and the strength of these small blooms, greens, trees and shrubs because they themselves embody these very same qualities. You can’t breeze through the Wildflower Show at top speed and really get anything out of it. It takes time and slowing down to appreciate these little wonders. There is a real feminine sweetness that fits with what flowers are.”
I feel exactly the same way again this year so I decided that those words were worth repeating.
Also included in that article was a bit of history on the Wildflowers in Anderson Valley, which was posted at the show and is also worth revisiting.
“It all started in a small one-room schoolhouse about three winding miles from the valley floor. A little pioneer settlement there had been called Peachland, and though mostly deserted now, the name lingers. As a young school teacher, Anderson Valley native Blanche Brown rode horseback from her home on Indian Creek three miles over a steep trail to the top of High Peak Ridge. Here stood a mill, which supplied a home for the five children in the school. As part of their learning agenda, Blanche educated her students on the surrounding wild plants and flowers.
“By spring, they decided to keep a table full of specimens in the schoolhouse all the time. The parents were interested and helped in the search, and it was decided to finish the study with an exhibit. Since that spring in 1926, the exhibits continued to grow and be held every year. In 1949 after 38 years of teaching in public schools, Blanche Brown retired.
“Also into retirement went the wildflower shows until 1958, when she was again called upon by the Campfire Girls to assist with a study and exhibit. The exhibit was housed in the Indian Creek State Park Clubhouse and attracted a great deal of attention. The following year the show was sponsored by the Garden Section of the Unity Club, and more than 300 specimens were exhibited. Botanists attending took several specimens to the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. The show is sponsored by the Unity Club to this day.
“Blanche Brown was painted in her later years in her wildflower garden at her home in Indian Creek. Over the years she transplanted and cared for many specimens of local wildflowers. Blanche passed away in 1989 at the age of 96.” And there we see how one person with a strong love and commitment for a cause or subject can influence the world for the better even long after they are gone, in this case over 30 years later.
Presented by the Garden Section of the Anderson Valley Unity Club the 2023 Wildflower Show took place April 22nd and 23rd from 10am-4pm each day at the Boonville Fairgrounds.
The show is always free and attendance was high this year. Jean Condon was in charge and a great job she did. If you have any wildflower related questions or are interested in joining the Unity Club Garden Section which meets once a month- all are welcome call Jean at 707 272-8243.
As an attendee I was moved by the memorials to Sue Hopkins (this year’s Show was dedicated to her) who ran the show for 12 years and Sue Davies who was always such a loyal participant and contributor to the Unity Club. Both of their generous smiling faces are missed.
Also remembered Dorothy ‘Dot’ Hulbert who in a very forward thinking way used new technology to take scans of wildflowers creating great large pictures that are traditionally hung in the “Tea Room” area of the show. Many of the women who have been instrumental in keeping the Wildflower Show alive over all the years are not spring chickens. If you get a chance and you know who some of them are give them a special thanks while you still can!
On the other end of the age spectrum were the teens who were behind the counter in the Tea Room. Representing the Teen Center with Deleh Mayne as their adult mentor they served us coffee, tea and sweets but also and deliciously Tamales and Posole Soup.
Serving youth in another capacity was the Sanhedrin Chapter of the Native Plant Society who had books for educating the young on plant lore and facts. I bought two big format picture books titled “Pitter and Patter” with gigantic realistic drawings of water drops, squirrels, beavers, seals, jelly fish etc. in the service of the story of the water cycle. “Take a ride with Pitter on a water cycle! Tumble from the sky, careen off a leaf, plunge into a stream as you travel through a watershed. Then take a ride with Patter — even through an underground cave. Oh, the places you’ll go and the creatures you’ll see. A water drop is a wonderfully adventurous thing to be!”
Young people were also included with their artwork, some of whom won cash prizes. Classes from the school come to the show each year and materials are prepared to help them make the most of their visit. Worksheets with pictures asked kids to draw a line to match the plant to its name. There was a sheet for finding the flower that asked for a fill-in of either the common or the scientific name.
A song sheet with alternate lyrics to “I love the flowers” read, “I love a poppy, I love an iris so, I love a paintbrush, I love the mistletoe, I love the clover but I don’t like the poison oak- boom de adda, boom de adda, boom. Also a fun facts sheet. Did you know that poppies have been the state flower since 1903 and that Mendocino Indians mashed the dried leaves for pain? That tick Bush seeds can be dormant for hundreds of years usually triggered back into life by forest fires? Miner’s lettuce was eaten by the California Gold Rush miners who ate it to get their vitamin C. Mustard was cultivated as long as 4000 years ago!
Educating adults and children, Beverly Dutra took over where Sue Davies left off answering questions and passing out literature and very cool tick removing tools at her booth a “Big Bite” sign featuring a giant menacing looking picture of a Lyme’s Disease passing tick. Visit Bayarealyme.com for more information.
If you bring a plant or sprig to the Wildflower Show someone will be on hand to help you identify it. It’s about the beauty but it’s also about education. Which species are invasive? Which are poisonous? Which feed hummingbirds or caterpillars or butterflies? The person with the most information can do the most good supporting plant and wildlife in Anderson Valley and beyond.
The plant sale was hopping. It seemed like more inventory than last year and sales were brisk. A great place to get those plants that sustain humans and animals. As Jean mentioned in her wrap up letter this week, more plants are always welcome. So if you are willing to pot some things up chances are good that someone will snap them up generating a greener planet and revenue for scholarships and plant preservation. Buying plants that are propagated here assures you that the plant is acclimatized and ready to thrive. I have purchased plants in Cloverdale for example that failed to do well in my Yorkville home because the ecosystem is completely different even though only 30 minutes apart.
See Jean’s letter for a complete list of all those responsible, all those to be thanked and other pertinent details. We are so lucky to live in a place where people have the patience to literally slow down and enjoy the flowers. Wildflowers give their gifts so freely they deserve all the appreciation and love we can give them.
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