April/abril, Volume 17, Issue 4 of Latino Lubbock Magazine

"Bloom Where You Grow! ¡Florece donde creces!" Cover By Christy Martinez-Garcia This month's April cover showcases the colorful blooms bursting into life around us. We can look forward to these flowers from March through early May, and while most will embrace this color of grace, some will complain because of allergies. LOL! My grandad Don Juan Martinez taught me how to garden and to appreciate these beautiful blooms. My grandma Fidencia Castro taught me the health benefits and use of certain flowers. She taught me about foraging - the act of gathering wild food for free - and how it impacted her and her family during the Depression years. Although it's gained far greater popularity in recent years, for our distant ancestors foraging would simply have been a way of life – a necessity in fact. It is also important for us to be aware of how these blooms are significant to the ecology of bees, butterflies, and ultimately our environment. Take a minute and stop and smell the roses!