Wild Ginger  (Asarum canadense)

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Wild Ginger Leaves and Flower

O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!  Psalm 95:6  (NRSV)
Appreciation on Our Knees

	Sometimes we need to get down on our knees to really see or appreciate plants and animals.  Wild Ginger is one such plant.  Large fuzzy leaves hide its blossoms and sometimes the flowers are almost buried under litter.  Who or what knows of such beauty?  It is the beetles that creep along at ground level and come and pollinate the flowers.  It is the ants that sometimes are attracted to the fleshy pulp in which the seeds are found.  The ants carry the choice morsels away and thus help distribute the seeds.
	Sometimes when we fall on our knees with our faces close to the ground we see great and wonderful things in God’s creation.  Sometimes we really come to appreciate God’s love when we are brought to our knees in prayer. 

Dear Lord,
We bow in awe and thanks for all the beauty of creation that surrounds us.  Help us to see and learn new information about the world around us.  In your name we pray, Amen.

Things to Try
•  Kneel in a garden or woodland area.  Look for new and beautiful things at ground level, things that might be noted by God’s small creatures. 
•  While kneeling offer prayers of thanks or petitions for special needs.
•  Think about what happens when the woodlands are over run with invasive species such as Garlic Mustard.  Join a group that is trying to control that invasive plant.
•  Try writing a story or poem about Wild Ginger.

Wild Ginger
Tiny cup beneath two stalks.
Brownish-red and creamy white.
Roots with tangy, ginger taste
Fuzzy leaves so green and bright.

Loretta Kuse