Reflections

Some plants are so unique, so striking that once we see them, it is unlikely we ever forget their names or where we first became acquainted with them.  Ladyslippers are one of those plants.  My first brush with the ladyslipper was in a woodland parkland near one of the Door County, WI lighthouses.  In fact, it was the rare, endangered pink variety.  While the yellow ladyslipper shown here is more common, it is no less stunning.  I wait eagerly every spring for its appearance in the memorial garden along the Little Traverse Bay lakeshore, just one of the perks of volunteering for the crew that tends that precious space. 
Although far less exotic, daisies are another powerful memory-maker for me. They recall summers long past, when I would wander the ditches and fields of northern Michigan to gather armfuls for a pale green depression glass vase that still sits on my kitchen table.  Nowadays I treasure tending 'Daisy Hill' in that same memorial garden where the regal ladyslipper holds court every season.  Summer simply would not be summer without them.
What flower triggers that kind of reaction for you?  It is a question worth answering, whether we consider ourselves gardeners or not.