There’s an incredible world at our feet that most of us pass by daily without any awareness. Wanda Garland, a botanist, retired biology teacher and wildflower photographer from Waldoboro, recognizes the ephemeral natural beauty of wildflowers that most people miss out on.

“What you have to do is stop and look,” she said. “You don’t have to even go far; at the edges of your lawn or a nearby field, or in ditches. When you go for a walk, amazing things grow along our roadways. State parks like Acadia will have signs along trails that will point out certain flowers. Often, you just have to pick a spot, sit down and pay attention. Get a field guide to wildflowers and match up what you see with the photos.”

She grew up on a farm in northern Maine surrounded by cow pasture, fields and woods, which made for an excellent training ground for botony. “My family always foraged for fiddleheads and strawberries, “ she said. “My mother taught me about edible wildflowers and plants and my dad taught us the name of every tree. One of the reasons I do slide talks and walks is because there is so much locally to observe and appreciate. When I retired to do wildflower photography, it some of evolved into teaching informal classes and speaking engagements.”

With a last name like Garland, it’s an aptronym; almost as if she was born to do this. “For me, just walking out on the trails, I’m completely at peace,” she said.

For more exotic wildflowers, Garland often takes hikes in the following three areas.

Goose River Peace Corps Preserve

Waldoboro

Of this forested wetland near Goose River, Garland said, “They have an extremely wide variety of wildflowers from when the snow arrives to when it disappears. The trail is very pleasant and easy to follow. I’ve taken members of senior college on these walks here before.” Ladyslippers and various kinds of Trillium can be found along these walking trails.

Hidden Valley Nature Center

Jefferson

With 25 miles of trails, Midcoast Conservancy’s Hidden Valley Nature Center has the most ecologically diverse and undeveloped tracts of forestland in the Midcoast. “This is a huge place over a thousand acres open year round. It has some wonderful summer trails for wildflowers and it also had a boardwalk to observe the bog plants,” she said. Hidden Valley Nature Center has a Facebook page that shares news of trail improvements. June is a special time for many of these new blossoms including pink lady’s slippers, fringed polygala, creeping dogwood, and the insectivorous bog plant, Pitcher Plant.

Orono Bog Boardwalk

Orono

“They have at least four or five study stations on the boardwalk with photos of what to look for,” said Garland. This rich peatland environment of wetland plants is also home to the pitcher plant, a carnivorous plant that is shaped like a pitcher to catch insects. The Orono Bog Boardwalk also has a Facebook page that displays what’s currently blooming every couple of days.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com