Earth Day: The Beauty and Language of Spring

The seasons are defined. The vernal or spring equinox occurred on March 20-21, the summer solstice occurs on June 20 -21, the autumn equinox three months later September 22 – 23 and the winter solstice is celebrated on December 21-22. There are boundaries that define the seasons, according to the calendar.

Then we have the fauna and flora of the seasons. In the spring the birds begin migrating north and add to the chorus of species that have stayed behind and are already enjoying the warmer weather. Bears emerge from hibernation and must eat and drink to survive so in looking for food there are opportunity for lots of mischief here and there.

As trees begin to bud and leaves emerge they become living sculptures covered as they are in pink, yellow and white blossoms. Their scent fills the air and their colors change the white and languid grays of the winter landscape to a palate of pastel colors.

Pussywillows are often a first sign of spring. The word originated in the United States and is “any willow with soft fluffy catkins appearing before the leaves.” Tulips were introduced to Europe from Turkey in the 16th Century and are part of the lily family. Daffodils are a western European plant that are native in the woods. Beauty is created through the cultivation and transfer of seeds (ideas, philosophy, art) across continents.

Over the last few weeks conversations with friends have helped me think about spring in new ways. One, a scientist and researcher, has just published a paper on beauty. Another, an artist, is working on conceptual projects around color and color theory. As I think about words, I pulled off the shelf Robert MacFarlane’s book, Landscapes (Penguin Books, 2015), a glossary of “thousands of words from dozens of languages and dialects for specific aspects of landscape, nature and weather, that he collected in the British Isles.” For example: wham, is a swamp is Cumbria and yarf is a swamp in Shetland. It was MacFarlane’s thought that in our technological world many of these words, as part of regional dialects, will be lost, over time. Then we will have lost the language to define landscapes, woods and gardens.

The Japanese categorize their poetry by the seasons. A poem from the Kamakura and Muromachi period 1185 – 1603:

With the spring, now
They huddle in the mist,
The hills of Awaji,
Seen over the waves
Till yesterday.
Priest Shune

Last week I visited the Bronx Botanical Garden. It was a cold day with threatening rain and a gray sky. The million daffodils planted throughout were just ready to blossom. The trees were just beginning to show their blooms. The display of orchids from Thailand in the Conservatory kept us warm and visually transported us to a tropical climate. Acres and acres of carefully cared for plants and trees.

Saturday, 22 April is Earth Day. The idea for a day to recognize the earth and the concept of peace was proposed by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. Earth Day was first celebrated in the United States in 1970 and then became an international initiative in 1990. I was in New York City on the first Earth Day and somewhere in my trunks of ephemera have a photograph of Mayor John Lindsay standing in front of the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue, which had been closed for the day. It remains a strong memory in my mind.

There is one precious earth. The beauty of nature and the joy it brings us through its language doesn’t need to be defined: it is a gift to be cherished and protected, collectively by all of us.