I was out walking in my neighborhood yesterday and saw these in a neighbor’s yard.
I did a double-take…pink lady slippers??? I hadn’t seen them since I was a child. And I remember quite well what happened then.
I was in the woods behind my house and came across this beautiful flower. Thoughtful child that I was, I picked it to bring home to my mother. On my way back I bumped into a friend who lived next door. “Look what I found! Isn’t it beautiful?” I gushed. I thought she was shocked by its beauty, but no…she said, “You aren’t supposed to pick those!”
“Why not?” I said, feeling uneasy.
“It’s illegal!”
“What?”
“You are going to get in trouble!”
I thought she was teasing me, so I brought it home anyway. And my mother said it was true…they were endangered. She said she appreciated my thought, but get rid of it! I went back to the woods and laid it down next to the leaves, hoping someone would think it just broke. I was nervous for a couple of days after that, picturing policemen at my door hauling me away. Of course, nothing happened, but I never touched them again.
Glad to see that they are still alive and well. They are the state flower of Minnesota, but can be found in the Eastern US and Canada. You can read about them here.
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