May has brought us beautiful flowers, as promised by the second half of the well known springtime saying. So we’ve picked four books highlighting the elegant, ephemeral and edible (yes, you can actually eat some flowers) nature of Philly flora, and beyond.
The Grid and the River by Elizabeth Milroy
From the time of its founding to the late 19th century, there have always been efforts to keep Philadelphia’s green spaces… well, green. In The Grid and the River, author and Drexel University Art Historian Elizabeth Milroy uses a collection of essays to catalogue the rich urban history of our city.
Edible Flowers by Constance Kirker and Mary Newman
“May you always eat flowers!” is how Constance “Connie” Kirker signs Edible Flowers, co-authored with Mary Newman. Explore the history of how flowers have been used in ancient cooking to the modern incorporation of marigolds and squash blossoms. These ladies eloquently build a case for why we shouldn’t just stop and smell the flowers; we should eat them, too.
Small Wonders by Barbara Kingsolver
In Small Wonders, Barbara Kingsolver reminds us through several beautiful essays that although flowers seem to bloom ever so briefly, human life is even more ephemeral. “In spite of our determination to contain what we see in neat, annual packages, the blazing field of blues and golds is neither a beginning nor an end. It’s just a blink, or maybe a smile, in the long life of a species whose blueprint for perseverance must outdistance all our record books.” Need we say more?
Magic Canyon by Sarah Stewart
Join Sarah Stewart on her adventure through Magic Canyon, where she’s on a mission. She aims to ward off money-hungry developers who threaten to tear down the beautiful land. Armed only with her camera and a few clues from a vivid dream, Sarah is determined to find a way to change an impending fate in The Earth is My Mother by Bev Doolittle and Elise Maclay.
What’s your go-to springtime picnic-in-a-park book?
