White Violets

Wild violets are small spring flowers, and you will tend to find them in woodland and on banks and verges. They can be tucked in among other leaves and plants, so are quite easy to miss – especially the actually violet ones. White violets are a bit more self-announcing, their brightness makes them stand out amongst the greens. Later in the spring there will be other white flowers in the British woods – wild garlic and wood anemone.

One of the good things about focusing on plants when exploring the wheel of the year, is that they tend to stay still. You can admire them, and come back the next day with a camera, or a book to find out what they are. If you aren’t in the habit of spotting things, looking for wild flowers is a good place to start – simply scanning the edges of any path you are walking along will increase what you see.

It can take practice to spot birds, mammals and insects – but the more time you spend looking, the more you will see. The habit of a soft gaze, being gently attentive to what is around you will make wildflowers visible. It’s startling how oblivious we can be – I say this having taken urban pagans into the woods and supported them through the process of realising how much is actually there. When we’re caught up in our own concerns, we do not see the small beauties around us. Actively looking out for wild flowers is easy and rapidly rewarding and helps a person open themselves up to the natural world around them.