For me, the light is now at the end of the tunnel. The school year is about to conclude and I find myself utterly and thoroughly exhausted. I am now running on fumes; almost completely spent. I am looking forward to my mandatory unpaid furlough and the opportunity that it will give me to heal up after what has been an extremely challenging school year.

As a result of this exhaustion, being somewhat bereft of enthusiasm for anything other than sleep, I find myself searching for anything that might hint at a spark of joy. Sometimes it is a bird song that I hear as I am getting into my car in the morning. Sometimes it is the sight of a great blue heron flying over the road as I find my way home at the end of the day. It is almost exclusively something observed in nature (the national and international news is so depressing these days) and I do my best to “put myself out there” to improve my chances. Just the other day this worked in a most delightfully surprising way.

One afternoon I was walking in my side yard on some sort of little errand that seemed important at the time. Now, for the life of me, I have no idea what this errand might have been, which suggests that it might not have been important at all. Anyway, I was walking along and surveying the lawn that had been somewhat stunted by a lack of water when I suddenly caught sight of a little speck of pink among the green grasses. I slowed my pace and turned my full attention to this granule of eye candy and found myself stopped and staring at the gorgeous flower of a maiden pink (Dianthus deltoides) plant.

When I consult the pages of my Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide I find that maiden pink is, in fact, listed among the hundreds of wildflower species contained therein. However, there is a small asterisk next to the species’ name, which indicates that the plant is actually an “introduced” species. I am guessing that the gardeners who are reading my column today recognize the name “dianthus” as a group of showy little flowers that are so beautiful that they are worth cultivating. There is even a popular species of the dianthus genus that goes by the common name “Sweet William,” which I like because my name is also William.

So, this gorgeous little flower is one that has escaped from a garden and found its way into my yard. I couldn’t be more thrilled because it is so lovely to look at and I take great pains to remember where it grew last year and mow around any sign of its presence this year. Things seem to be operating just as I would predict except for the fact that the flowers are blooming very early. All of my photos of maiden pink seem to have been taken in mid-July, which makes a June appearance quite unusual.

There is a second member of this genus, the Deptford pink (G. armeria), that also grows in my yard, but in slightly different places. The maiden pinks seem to grow in my lawn, whereas the Deptford pinks like to grow down in my field. It is worth mentioning that both species like areas that have experienced some level of “disturbance,” so occasional mowing and scarring of the ground’s surface can help these plants seed themselves. Thus, it comes as no surprise that the Deptford pink grows down in my meadow right at the edges of the trails that I have mowed. Also, the name ”Deptford” comes from Deptford England, which hints at the plant’s European origins.

One look at the flowers shows that they are most definitely related to one another. The differences between them are just differences in how Nature has decided to package floral beauty. Maiden pink flowers are about the size of a nickel and they tend to be rather flat. The petals are broad and the center of the flower is decorated with a ring of darker pink. In contrast, the Deptford pink is a smaller flower (perhaps the size of a dime) and it is perched atop a much taller stem that can be more than 2 feet tall. The Deptford pink has a minimal suggestion of the circle of darker pink at the flower’s center and is decorated instead with a collection of white specks that resemble the splatter of whitewash coming off a paintbrush. To be honest, I don’t know which species is more beautiful, but I should mention that neither of these species is considered invasive in the Northeast.

So, if you find yourself pooped, tired, worn out, or just plain exhausted, you might consider grabbing a cold beverage and taking a stroll outside. If you have a yard of your own, then scrutinize all of the corners where wild things might be growing. If you live in town, then perhaps a simple stroll down the sidewalk might reveal something beautiful poking up through cracks in the concrete. If you are anything like me, then you may find your mood and your energy levels boosted when you catch sight of an unexpected fragment of color that confirms life’s unending attempts to try to persist.

Bill Danielson has been a professional writer and nature photographer for 26 years. He has worked for the National Park Service, the US Forest Service, the Nature Conservancy and the Massachusetts State Parks and he currently teaches high school biology and physics. For more in formation visit his website at www.speakingofnature.com, or head over to Speaking of Nature on Facebook.

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