30 days of herbal allies - a photo project

During April, I joined the Herbal Roots Zine's 30 days of herbal allies challenge. I chose to connect with my camera again. It was a joy, pleasure, wisp of self-care, and challenge to connect a word with a plant each day and it was sweet to have my kiddos begin to join, notice, and spot plants or photo opportunities with me. I shared each photo on my Facebook page, each day, sometimes with a little comment. Here are my 30 days of photos and the comments I included.

(Poppy)

(Comfrey)

 

(Nasturtium up a Redwood Tree)

(Nasturtium and arugula)

A couple years ago, in a tired, homeschool mama moment, I exclaimed, "Ahh! I have lost my brain!" Little Brown Mouse said, "I know where you lost it, Mama!" He went out the front door and returned a minute later with a dried Nasturtium seed. Don't they look like little brains? That one has a sense of humor, I tell you.

(Tomato and basil)

(Nasturtium)

 

(Nasturtium, Poppy, Oxalis, Rose, and more)

(Jasmine)

(Redwood)

Volunteer edibles. Given my garden, I think Arugula.

  

(Yarrow)

A few years ago, as M and I enjoyed an anniversary dinner, I told him I was thinking about what word I wanted to choose for the year ahead. (I always have a word to meditate on for the year.) I had a word in my mind that seemed fitting for where we were at that time, so I was surprised when he looked at me and said, "I think the word should be Renewal." That had been the word I had been thinking of. So it was. And so it seems fitting that, today, on his birthday, the word of the day is Renewal.

 

(Borage)

When we went on our walk around the neighborhood this morning, Brown Mouse and I raced, but Lala Bug kept stopping, identifying plants, and picking weeds. She added a few non-weeds to her bunch and came home with this beautiful wild bouquet. When I said the word of the day was 'healing,' she said "Oh! That Dandelion!" It was a beautiful dandy, flourishing between the cracks in the sidewalk. She picked it and added it to her bouquet before knowing the word of the day. While dandy is healing and had I had my camera, I would have snapped a photo, this little bouquet certainly served as a beautiful balm of its own today. Does anyone know what those purple fireworks-looking flowers are?

(Teeny tiny grapes)

(Jerusalem Artichoke)

Non-edible, just beautiful.

(California Poppies) 

These will grow anywhere. The most beautiful of weeds.

(Nasturtium)

Open to it all...sun, rain, (snails!)...Gnome umbrellas...

(Carrots)

Farm box this morning.

(Lavender and a bee)

Today is Earth Day, and to be honest, I took this photo 3 days ago in my parents' garden. I had forgotten about it until I started scrolling through my photos, trying to choose a photo for today's word. It seemed too fitting to not use. That's widespread oregano in the background.

 

(Plum)

(Poppy)
The kids have been "helping" me with this photo project, curious about the word of the day and pointing out when they notice something they think fits. In this case, Lala saw the "birthing" Poppies and said "Look, they are learning how to be in the world!"

Herbal salad made by Lala, with lemon balm, parsley, borage, rosemary, and...something else?!

(Chickweed)
I really wanted to use a photo from our nature journaling visit to a regional park, but the photos I took didn't seem appropriate for "weed." This photo is from our garden and is nutritious human and Misty rabbit greens!

(Dandelion)

 (Rose)

(Forget-me-nots)
The word of the day + the name of the flower + the location I took the photo = poignant

(Birch)

The end.