this is the kind of end-of-winter bouquet i can only assemble after a mild winter. normally, these slender stems would have been bent and broken under a several feet of snow.  but this year, we were spared that, and so these delicate structures are still standing tall facing the sun. i gathered this bouquet on one walk with my friend kristin. we walked, and talked for about and hour, and i occasionally stepped off the path to grab another stem. eventually she asked how i decide which stems to grab. “i go for the unruly ones,” I said. “the ones that look like they’re misbehaving.”

a winter bouquet of assorted wildflower and weed stems

grass lake regional trail, saint paul, minnesota