Monday, April 20, 2009

Haiku for Spring Beauties

Monday, April 20, 2009
6 comments

Tiny white flower
like snow on a sunny day
spring won't be denied



These images were taken on Easter Sunday at Camp Tupper, a park in Marietta, Ohio. The hill in this last image is ceremonial mound called the Quadranaou, built by the Hopewell Indians sometime between 100 B.C and 900 A.D. Growing up in Marietta, we kids in the neighborhood surrounding Camp Tupper called it the turtle mound because it was vaguely turtle shaped. It got the name Camp Tupper during the Civil War when Union soldiers used this park and Sacra Via nearby as camping and parade grounds.

Every April, the spring beauties carpet Camp Tupper—a reminder that spring is here and soon the trees will be full of migrant birds and the air full of their songs.

6 comments:

On April 20, 2009 at 2:11 PM littleorangeguy said...

Interesting you called it turtle mound -- in many Indigenous traditions, North America is called Turtle Island.

I love the thought of spring not being denied.

On April 20, 2009 at 6:11 PM Kathiesbirds said...

Nice that you captured these images. So, you are a poet at heart! The spring migrants are returning here also and soon I will be in your neck of the woods when I head off to the New River Birding festival. I hope to rack up some new migrants then! Happy Spring! Happy Birding!

On April 20, 2009 at 8:54 PM KatDoc said...

I loved that mound when I lived in Marietta! It is in my "mound-builders" blog series. I don't remember THAT many Spring Beauties, though.

~Kathi, who still doesn't get haiku

On April 20, 2009 at 11:15 PM LauraHinNJ said...

Gawd that's gorgeous!

On April 21, 2009 at 9:39 PM caroline said...

The Sarouk and Tabriz oriental rugs on the floor of the house I grew up in have nothing on this carpet of Spring Beauties! WOW
Caroline in the Black Hills

On April 27, 2009 at 1:49 PM Anonymous said...

I used to fly kites in this park as a kid, as BT knows...I lived on Sacra Via (the Sacred Way) and the 2 blocks of it led from the mound down to the river. Funny the things you take for granted in your childhood. I thought living by sacred Indian burial grounds no big deal. It is a beautiful place.


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