In Praise of Pink

One can speak poetry just by arranging colors well.

Vincent Van Gogh

The photo of the beautiful rhododendron you see above was taken on one of my last backpacking trips two years ago. I love hiking the river valleys of the Olympics in June when the woodland flowers are in bloom. They bring light that filters through the forest canopy after a long gray winter in western Washington. Suddenly there is pink in the world.

Most people who are not from western Washington believe that it is a place where rain falls in abundance. In truth, Seattle receives less rainfall than any city on the east coast. What it does have is a long winter of gray skies. As a child I used to wake up to that first gray day, usually in late September, and wonder how I could possibly wait until May before I would again see the sun and the blue sky.

But May always did come around eventually, and along with blue skies came splashes of pink when the wild rhododendrons bloom. These beautiful flowers light up the forest like pastel stars, their translucent petals glowing. It is not difficult to understand why pink has long been associated with happiness. Being “in the pink” means being in a bright mood. It is a reason to celebrate after a long gray winter. There is color in the world once again, and it might as well be pink. It is exactly what we need in May.

There are other colors abundant under the forest canopy in the spring: the yellow of woodland violets and the exquisite purple of the calypso orchid. And mostly there is white in abundance: trillium, bunchberry, candy flower, vanilla leaf, and the magnificent dogwood, which rivals the rhododendron for showy blooms. And of course there is green. There is always green in the western Washington forest: ferns, conifers, the tender leaves of new growth that remind us that spring is here at last, and a summer of hiking awaits.

Perhaps the best thing about living in western Washington is that sunshine and flowers never seem ordinary. Every translucent petal is cause for celebration. Spring is here, and it is pink, yellow, purple, white and green. Splash it on a canvas. Perch on a branch, ruffle your feathers, let your song soar. The world is in bloom again.