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Champlin’s Red – A Witch Hazel Story
Living life in the remarkable world of plants and horticulture, you should always be prepared for a little adventure, which could become necessary at any given moment. It was just this past October, on a picture-perfect Tuesday afternoon, when I heard adventure calling my name. There were signs around Newport, botanical signs, and time wasn’t to be wasted. I turned to Morgan, sitting innocently at her desk, and without warning, suggested an immediate botanical journey into the unfamiliar Rhode Island countryside. She, knowing the intriguing details and information we had uncovered in recent days, agreed with little hesitation. We jumped into action, quickly gathering up some supplies and double checked the coordinates on the GPS to pinpoint our destination. We both knew this was not going to be an exact science. Then we hit the road, driving off in search of something we weren’t sure we’d be able to find.
Many years prior to that adventurous October afternoon, a man with a deeply rooted connection to the natural world walked along a roadside in rural Rhode Island. It was probably a beautiful October afternoon like the one we had for our journey, with a cool breeze and the sun’s low rays piercing through the thinning canopy, illuminating an understory rich with orange, yellow, red, and brown. It’s possible this traveler may have been alone, but he may have been in the company of another man, an experienced and knowledgeable outdoorsman, who would accompany him for day trip explorations to enjoy and document the natural world. At some point along this peaceful walk, just off the side of the road amongst the brush, something interesting caught the man’s attention. What he saw was something that had been following him all day along his walk, a well-known fall blooming plant with fragrant, spider-like flowers. But this plant was unlike the countless others he’d seen that day, and ever before. A sensation of raw excitement jolted through our traveler. This was something different. This was something special...
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