Its arrival in late March and early April was a sure sign that warmer weather was officially here to stay. Both flirty and refreshing, the wild honeysuckle’s (Rhododendron alabamense) signature scent was a welcome wake-up, thanks to the hundreds of bouquets Daddy brought into my room every April while I was sleeping late on Saturday mornings. 

One whiff was all it took for me to roll my lazy self out of bed and outside to the barn to finish saddling the horses. He, of course, had already started. I knew the woods wouldn’t wait all spring for me to visit.

The search for spring wildflowers was serious business in my family. While some of the flowers bloom early and last all spring, many blossom for only a week. If you miss out, you have committed a major sin in the Bearden household. And while you get points for viewing from the truck window or on foot, you haven’t really experienced them until you immerse yourself in their glory from the back of a horse. I believe this was the case because of the additional skill level required to convince your mount to venture into dark, spooky swamps, jump the occasional deep, clay-filled mud hole, and scale the treacherous brushy hillside for the full Alabama wildflower expedition.

After making the trek through the breezy, hilltop piney woods splashed with purple from violets, wild iris, and phlox, my daddy, my sister and I would descend to the hardwood bottoms filled with intoxicating pink crabapple blossoms, tall white oaks clothed in mint green leaves and brilliant maples glowing red hot with samaras dancing in the breeze. As we cautiously entered the swamp and creek bottom, we were welcomed most blessedly by the warm aroma of the wild honeysuckle and the sound of bees seeking its sweet nectar.

“Springtime is like a good bottle of hooch,” Daddy would say. “It should be sipped, slowly.”

As brief as it is beautiful, spring holds unlimited surprises for observers who take the time to uncover them. Even the weather is full of wonder. One week stars a string of cool, cloudless nights in which every constellation is brightly defined followed by warm, breezy sunshine-filled days that you swear are heaven on earth. The following week boasts balmy, cloud-covered mornings, rainy afternoons, and stormy evenings with lightning shows that put any fireworks display to shame. In any weather event, every week a host of colorful wildflowers await their opportunity to be pollinated.

Every spring I look forward to fighting the bees and my horse’s dislike of flying insects and mud, just to get the chance to lean into the wild honeysuckle shrub and submerge myself in its springtime splendor. With long, curled stamens begging for pollination tickling my nose, I realize the wild honeysuckle shares my impatient eagerness to embrace the season. Crafted with detailed care, this sacred plant represents the intricate nature of God’s divine creation, as well as His generosity to mankind. Springtime is a heavenly gift to be sipped, slowly.