Apr 18, 2020 4 min read

It is amazing how they cling to the rocky ledges on one side of the road and live in marshy water next to the creek on the other side of the road.

Perhaps wildflowers’ lives are more abundant this year because people need them to be. They are a sign of hope. Their brief spectacular show is just beginning. People who have been confined at home and are feeling kind of in desperate need to just go for that ride out where there are few people and a lot of nature.

As I write this, there is a battle going on between the virus and the human race that is quiet but can be long and deadly. I have been staying in the same as everyone and not seeing my friends or visiting anyone as much as possible. But for sanity sake and the sake of all my readers, decided to make a visit this week to the land of the wildflowers.

The visit has to come soon as wildflower blooming time is short. You cannot wait too long or put the visit off until after the corona virus. Yes, there are wildflowers all over the state but if you really want to see the show, you must go where there are great numbers of flowers blooming. The trip alone from Washington along Route 18 to the turn off is about 20 minutes or so to 221. I hop on Craft Creek and cruise on in to Rocky Run Road.

From here out, it is more scenic as pasture fields go by and you see turkeys or deer in fields of cows and sheep. Whatever you take with you, don’t forget the binoculars and the camera. I also include my favorite wildflower guide, “The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers.” That makes the trip so much more fun as you can look up the flowers you are spotting.

Personally, I like to drive through the Templeton Creek Valley on Templeton Run Road before dropping in on Enlow Creek Valley. This road follows the creek and has a bonus as it is a great little trout stream and easy to fish and walk. As of three days ago, Trillium were just beginning to dot the hillsides and probably will be in full bloom by the middle of this week.

They are the white three-petal flower with a matching leaf. Watch at the berm of the road where it splits with one road following the creek and the other road goes toward West Finley. If you are observant and lucky, you will spot a few larkspur with their brilliant purple flower growing there. This flower is one of my favorites. Further in there are bluebells growing from rocky ledges and loads of spring beauties, yellow buttercups, bright red indian paint and dutchman breeches or squirrel corn with their heavenly scent. Blue eyed mary’s grow here in profusion. This is their most northern area and down in the bottom lands of Enlow, they fill the fields with blue.

On our trip, we heard and saw spring gobblers and, yes, we caught trout. At my age, a place so easily trout fished is a blessing. Kathy hooked and landed a nice brownie, which caused me to get excited and show off my casting ability from up above on the road. When perfectly timed, you can easily fish and see wildflowers. We saw very few people as the day was cold, which in today’s virus laden society was perfect.

After we had a great dinner of deep fried trout, we were tired and happy and relaxed. Perhaps every Southwestern Pennsylvanian needs to make this trip once this season to this valley of the wildflowers. We are losing such places at a rapid pace. Places where the Hepatica are being covered in concrete. Look how many wildflowers have been lost in North Strabane Township alone. But with this strange coronavirus and all its bad effects, the land of the wildflower still goes on peacefully and alone.

Don’t take risks with your life but a quiet visit to see the wildflowers or take a break from work is always uplifting, to see a world in a grain of sand or heaven in a wildflower.