The continuing discoveries of a 21st century artist and naturalist …
Coloring books were a favorite of mine as a child.
I particularly loved the 64-crayon boxes of Crayolas. My two favorite crayon colors were Sky Blue and Spring Green. Something about those two colors said ‘happy and calm’ to me. I started thinking of this as spring began its arrival on the mountain a few weeks ago. I think most people see Spring as green. Perhaps this is because the grass begins to come out of its winter dormancy and just a bit because Crayola gave us the color to go with it.
But for me the color of spring is yellow.
The very first sign of Spring for me this year came on March 21st. I remember the day because it was also the day I became a grandmother for the first time. Suddenly the world looked different. Better. More beautiful. I went outside to savor the day and quietly relish a moment that would never happen again. I saw a small flower peeping out under a rock and the color? Bright Yellow.
This first color of spring was in the form of a flower called Coltsfoot but soon it was joined by Daffodils, Forsythia, Dandelions and Golden Ragwort, to name a few. Only today I saw new yellow blossoms. So for me the color of Spring is no longer the green crayon I used as a child but the sunny yellow of the sun coming back from the gray winter to open up the sky blue sky.