Goldenrod and Asters

Goldenrod and asters are Robin Wall Kimmerer's favorite flowers. She describes them as being a constant presence in her life and a mesmerizing sight to behold, as the goldenrod's yellow sprigs of flowers stand next to the asters' purple blossoms in a meadow. This combination of flowers and their beauty inspired Kimmerer to ask questions about why nature operates the way it does, why it places yellow and purple next to each other in a meadow, and other such big questions. This line of inquiry led her to begin to combine both scientific and traditional knowledge in her approach to nature, as she realizes that scientific explanations for mutual survival among living things complements the indigenous approach to such questions, which emphasizes reciprocity among living things.

Coffee Grinds

When Kimmerer was growing up, her family would camp in the summers and each morning would begin...