Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Wildflowers in Winter - Part Three

For the week of January 30 to February 5, the assignment from Wildflower Morning is to share stories or poetry about wildflowers. My choice is a childhood favorite lyric of song from the Hansel and Gretel opera by Engelbert Humperdinck. In this song at the start of Act Two, Gretel is singing about the unusual wildflower, the Jack-in-the-Pulpit. I have not had the pleasure of actually seeing this unique flower with the descriptive name. My good friend, Gawilli, has one growing in her yard, and she blogged about her treasure here.

There Stands a Little Man

There stands a little man in the wood alone.
He wears a little mantle of velvet brown.
Say, who can the man there be,
Standing underneath the tree
With a mantle of velvet brown?
His hair is all of gold, and his cheeks are red.
He wears a little black cap upon his head
Say, who can the man there be,
Standing, oh so silently,
With a little black cap upon his head?
With a little black cap upon his head?





The photo of the Jack-in-the-Pulpit is from National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wilderflowers, Eastern Region, Revised Edition, published by Alfred Knopf:New York, 2001

13 comments:

Elizabeth Joy said...

I've never seen a Jack-in-the-Pulpit before, nor have I heard the Hansel and Gretel Opera, but now I want to see them both. Thank you for sharing the sweet little poem about this interesting flower. My son came along very interested in the picture and wanted to hear everything you wrote. He says to tell you that He likes it too.

Unknown said...

Thanks so much for visiting! I have Jack-in-the-pulpit in my garden, and just love it; it grows native in some parts of Atlantic Canada, but I never get tired of looking at it. Some of the others aren't hardy enough for here, but this is a charmer--and so is the poem.

Pamela said...

A new plant for me, too. Another great post!!

Nessa said...

That's a neat flower. It'd be a treat to have that in your garden.

Unknown said...

I actually stumbled across a patch of these last spring and look forward to seeing them again. :) I vaguely remember the poem. :)

Anonymous said...

They are very interesting flowers. Thank you for sharing!

ellen b. said...

Wow, how great is that! I love the unusual flower and the great song to go along with it. thanks for finding them...

Silly Goose said...

Love the song about Jack-in the-pulpit. ;-) I have one in my garden that I'd forgotten was there (sigh) until I found its red berries last fall. IMAGINE! I'll be watching for it this spring.

daddy d said...

Wow! Wildflowers are tunes of nature.

ChrisB said...

I remember that post and thinking it looked like a plant we call (Lords and ladies or Cuckoo pint). When I googled it at the time this is what I found.

Shady Gardener said...

Thanks for the fun post about the Jack-in-the-pulpit. It would be fun to see them in the wild. The closest thing I've come to such a plant are the pitcher plants near to and in Canada. ;-)

Anonymous said...

Molly, I didn't know you had never seen one. Next spring you will have to come over when it is in bloom. Maybe by then there will be two!

Margaret said...

That's an amazing flower. I love unusual plants.