100 Flowers : #004 Greater Periwinkle

Now, this may seem a little unseasonal but in this mild and wet winter there are some plants that have just kept on going without a pause . . .

#004 : Vinca major

Greater Periwinkle 

I'm enjoying deciphering the botanical latin for the #100Flowers posts, this one is pretty straightforward . . .

Vinca : is from the latin 'vincere' which means 'to bind', the long trailing stems with evergreen leaves are perfect to use binding garlands and wreaths.

major : means 'greater' or 'larger' and distinguishes this plant from the smaller flowered periwinkle, Vinca minor.

The buds are furled like tiny umbrellas.

Take a closer look at the flowers, what elegant geometry! A golden circle in a pentagon, surrounded by five intriguingly asymmetric petals – like a fan or propeller.

Lines Written in Early Spring

by William Wordsworth in 1798

I heard a thousand blended notes,

While in a grove I sate reclined,

In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts

Bring sad thoughts to the mind.

To her fair works did Nature link

The human soul that through me ran;

And much it grieved my heart to think

What man has made of man.

Through primrose tufts,

in that green bower,

The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;

And 'tis my faith that every flower

Enjoys the air it breathes.

The birds around me hopped and played,

Their thoughts I cannot measure:-

But the least motion which they made

It seemed a thrill of pleasure.

The budding twigs spread out their fan,

To catch the breezy air;

And I must think, do all I can,

That there was pleasure there.

If this belief from heaven be sent,

If such be Nature's holy plan,

Have I not reason to lament

What man has made of man?

Worries about man messing up the natural world aren't new!

I'm putting all the #100Flowers on a Pinterest board, you can find it here.

Celia

xx