Editor’s Corner: Spring is in the air!

William Wordsworth wrote in “Stray Pleasures”, “Pleasure is spread through the earth in stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find.”

Walt Whitman wrote in “Give Me the Splendid Silent Sun”, “Give me odorous at sunrise a garden of beautiful flowers where I can walk undisturbed.”

And, Albert Einstein once said, “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand better.”

There is no better time in the Delta region to study nature at its finest than the Spring. The flowers begin to bloom, butterflies magically appear and colorful birds begin to sing.

Parents sit on the front porch or back patio, watch the kids play in the yard, and soak the exotic pairings of nature into their soul.

Flowers most commonly grown in Delta yards during the Springtime are Crocus, Daffodils, Hyacinths, Primrose, Tulips, Camellia, Rhododendron, Peonies and, of course, Roses.

However, it is actually the apple blossom which holds the honor of being Arkansas’ state designated flower. The apple blossom, with its pink and white petals, was adopted as the state flower by the General Assembly in 1901.

Butterflies common in the Arkansas Delta are numerous including the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Orange Sulphur, Red Admiral, Morning Cloak, Monarch and the Silver-spotted Skipper.

More than 170 kinds of butterflies and 62 species have been reported in the Natural State. The Diana Fritillary was officially designated as the state butterfly in 2007.

The state also has a very active Audubon Society which has discovered more than 100 species of birds in the Natural State. Among those most common in the agricultural areas are American Robin, Cattle Egret, Common Grackle, Dark-eyed Junco, Dickcissel, Eastern Kingbird, Field Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Logger head Shrike, White-crowned Sparrow and the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.

On March 5, 1929, the General Assembly of Arkansas approved the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) as the official state bird.

Spring in the Delta... in the words of Lao Tzu, “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”

Sandra Brand is the editor of the NEA Town Courier and The Osceola Times. She may be reached by phone at 870-563-2615 or by email at brand@osceolatimes.com.