alien beauty

My sister has tried growing lupines in our seaside summer home in Northern Estonia. We get only few flowers each year. The soil is not right. We admire a field of lupines from the car window on the way to the countryside. My sister doesn't give up. This year we have five blue and one two pink lupines in the garden.

The other day I went for a walk in my local neighborhood and instead of my usual route I turned a different direction. What a surprise it was to find lupines in a small meadow next to rail road tracks. Someone had taken care of them. The grass around them was cut short to allow the flowers stand tall and pretty.

I have always known that lupines are not local plants in Estonia. They were initially introduced as garden flowers and then cultivated on fields and from there they escaped to the road verges. There has been talk of getting rid of them in the wild if they start spreading too much. I hope it doesn't happen. Their beauty is astonishing.

I posted a photo of lupines on my instagram and Ruth reminded me of a wonderful book in her comment. I was an adult, working at the international school, when I came across "Miss Rumphius" by Barbara Cooney. "You must do something to make the world more beautiful" the book carries a message. All of us don't have a green finger or sometimes the soil does not support our efforts. We have other ways to put beauty in the world. I can contribute with some words and photos.