By Gina Malone
And just like that we’re nearly halfway through 2022. “If the year would stand/Still at June forever….” wrote poet Christina Rossetti. June is the month that feels like a sigh, a shaking-off of spring’s fickleness, a settling into the steadiness of summer.
Gina Malone, Editor
We entrust June with some of our most important days and celebrations: Father’s Day, Juneteenth, World Environment Day, Pollinator Week, Flag Day and Pride Month. Andrea Clark, a photographer who documented East Asheville before urban renewal displaced many residents, invites everyone to stroll along the James Vester Miller Historic Walking Trail past downtown landmarks that celebrate contributions to Asheville by Black residents—a fitting way to mark Juneteenth.
Events recognizing pollinators abound this month and offer opportunities for learning how to protect the crucial little critters year-round. The Center for Honeybee Research holds its first AVL Honey Fest on June 5 and Hendersonville has educational activities for all ages. Native plants ensure the survival of our WNC flora and fauna, and several regional authors have newly published books on topics within the field of botany, including rewilding as a way of restoring biodiversity.
This particular June is also a month of milestones. Elspeth Brown glances 15 years back to the opening of Maggie B’s Wine & Specialty Store, in Weaverville, and Heather Stefani, owner of Asheville’s blu29, celebrates the clothing boutique’s 4th birthday. Finally, Laura Mahan, who has taught us all so much about Southern Appalachian flora and fauna through the years in the column that shares the name of her long-time Biltmore Village store—Compleat Naturalist—bids a fond farewell to the business and to her column, with the promise that she will drop in from time to time to share her wisdom with Laurel readers.
Of course, time can’t stand still. And, so, let’s endeavor to enjoy every golden hour, every lightning bug flash, every sweet-blooming flower of June, knowing that every morning holds the potential for another day well spent. Happy Summer!
Gina Malone can be reached at Gina@thelaurelofasheville.com
