I took a walk around Carpenter Park in Cary this week. It didn’t seem like much was happening. There were a few turtles and a duck in the pond. There were a some eastern redbuds blooming at the front of the park, and some large white hydrangeas in full bloom in the back corner. Otherwise, there was just the hill along the back edge of the park filled with tall native grass.
I started on the path that circles the pond. I admired the hydrangeas and then continued toward the hill. A flash of red caught my eye. There was a bright red flower hiding in that bunch of tall grass. It was too far away for me to see what it was, and I’m not comfortable walking through grass that is 3 feet taller than me. I stayed on the path and kept my eyes on the tall grass. Sure enough, I found more flowers hiding a little closer to the edge of the path.
In the end, I felt like I was on an Easter egg hunt! Every once in a while, a spot of color would flash from the sea of green. There were cornflowers, delphinium, pink-ladies, flowering flax, and phlox. The bright red flowers were poppies. What a surprise! It was just beautiful!
The next time you are out walking in nature, keep an open mind. Stay curious, and you might be pleasantly surprised by what you find!
