Lilies of the Field

This vibrant composition features California golden poppies (Eschscholzia californica) and Creamcups (Platystemon californicus) in a field of native grasses. It was inspired by a photograph featuring poppies and cream cups taken by Gerald Corsi at Pepperwood Preserve in Santa Rosa. I am always amazed by the variety of wildflowers that appear each Spring in Sonoma County…although the gardener in me is a bit envious that they can thrive without a fresh application of seeds, fertilizer or drip irrigation!
 
The title is taken from the familiar Bible passage from Matthew 6:28-30;
“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you…”
 
So the fact that wildflowers can thrive without our intervention is actually one of the primary lessons of this passage. Another way to phrase it might be something like “Don’t get caught up in the minutiae”…or perhaps “Don’t sweat the small stuff”!  We can get so caught up in the day-to-day that we can miss the beauty around us and fail to appreciate all that that we have.