Thoreau Thursdays (41): The Granary of the Birds

“Shall I not rejoice also at the abundance of the weeds whose seeds are the granary of the birds?”
– Henry David Thoreau, Walden

Weeds, reeds, and seeds

“We are wont to forget that the sun looks on our cultivated fields and on the prairies and forests without distinction . . . In his view the earth is all equally cultivated like a garden.”
– Henry David Thoreau, Walden

I love that Thoreau appreciated weeds.  He took the time to get to know their hidden virtues — food for foraging birds and animals, shelter for wildlife, and their natural beauty.  There is a lesson here about what we might commonly consider pests.  It is not so black and white.  Life is full of complexity and shades of gray.

“What is a weed?  A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Seed head in snow

Slender reeds with calligraphic lines

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