The Miracle of Bean Trees
April 24, 2015
“It was another miracle. The flowers were turning into bean trees.”
— Barbara Kingsolver, The Bean Trees
Wisteria seed pod
Ever since I reread Barbara Kingsolver’s The Bean Trees for my Armchair Arizona blog post, I am reminded of her novel when I see wisteria. In the book, Taylor’s little daughter calls wisteria “bean trees” because the seed pods do look amazingly like hanging beans. I like how Kingsolver looks at this plant with fresh eyes and calls it “another miracle.”
The wisteria is flowering here in Seattle.
Wisteria blossoms
Wisteria
A couple of seed pods from last year still hang on amidst fresh blooms.
Last year’s wisteria seed pods, pencil sketch
Rosemary's Blog 
April 24, 2015 at 6:06 am
I do love wisteria. Ours finished blooming a few weeks ago, but your photos reminded me of another purple beauty we have: mountain laurel. The blossoms smell like grape bubble gum, and the combination of flowers and seeds bears some resemblance to the wisteria.
April 24, 2015 at 6:09 am
not far from us wisteria is wild – for the taking (we have not yet)
April 24, 2018 at 6:03 am
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