Weeds or Wildflowers?
September 27, 2008 – 7:59 am
Turk's Cap
Walking around the neighborhood this morning I spotted a very large clump of this flower. It is Turk’s Cap, Malvaviscus arbores var. drummondii. This wildflower is native to our Coastal region and provides nectar for butterflies and hummingbirds, as well as seed food for larger birds and squirrels. Flowers and fruit can be used for teas and the leaves are used in herbal medicine. It thrives in shade to partial sun, tolerates occasional salt spray and will grow vigorously in sandy or clay soils. Yet, despite all of these great qualities it is more commonly viewed as a weed than a wildflower.
Perhaps it is because it is so common, popping up wherever you least expect it. But it got me thinking about labels. We call Turk’s Cap a weed and therefore treat it as a weed, giving it no value except when visited by something we do value, hummingbirds. As humans we seem to do this with lots of things. I remember years ago when designer jeans came into fashion. It seemed like overnight the universe was transformed into a label-conscious group. God forbid if you didn’t have Jordache or Vanderbilt on your back pocket or Aigner on your purse. Of course, these were soon passé only to be replaced with new labels, Tommy Hilfiger, Coach, Versace, and on and on. I’m sure those of who from generations past will have your own names to throw into the mix, Penny Loafers, for example. But think about it for just a minute. Isn’t that whole way of thinking a little strange? How often has it been demonstrated that one brand of food goes down the same assembly line as another, only to be labeled at the very end? And yet, we are still driven to buy the one with the “better” label.
Perhaps this current economic situation will force us to recognize that true value comes from inside, not out. A friend once said it much better than I ever could. The best things in life aren’t things at all.
