Still Spring Garden in Essence

Recall the words of hymn #352 that we sang last Sunday:

Find a stillness, hold a stillness,
Let the stillness carry me.
Find the silence, hold the silence,
Let the silence carry me.
In the spirit, by the spirit,
With the spirit giving power,
I will find true harmony.

Seek the essence, hold the essence,
Let the essence carry me.
Let me flower, help me flower,
Watch me flower, carry me.
In the spirit, by the spirit,
With the spirit giving power,
I will find true harmony.

from Singing the Living Tradition

The plants are quiet now, but the stillness holds the spirit of birds, insects, and berries. American holly (Ilex americana) is one of the South's most versatile evergreens, growing in almost every habitat. It's the female plant that has the bright red berries. The fruit is eaten by bluebird, robin, cedar waxwing, mockingbird, and woodpecker; it is the larval plant for Henry's elfin butterfly (Gardening with Native Plants of the South, by Sally Wasowski).