I’m fickle as to what my favorite North Georgia wilderness wildflowers are — pretty much in accordance with whichever one I last saw. For instance, I get all giddy when I hike along and see the first bloodroot thrusting itself into the frosty ambience of early spring. Later in the season, I love the fire pinks, mainly for their color but also for the precise serrated edges of their petals.

But I can’t kid myself. The one that most captures my heart is the first pink lady slipper of spring. It emerges boldly with a pink, perfect bloom — a bit like a tiny roseate birthday balloon dangling downward from a curved stem. Who could not love this tiny harbinger of most everyone’s favorite season?

But as I shamelessly admit, I am fickle. I hope sometime soon to see my first yellow lady slipper. It will probably steal my affections away from the pink. And so it goes. Stay vertical and keep walkin’!