To walk through North Ithilien is to move through a living tapestry of color, scent, and quiet whispers beneath the leaves. As a scholar of herbalism and student of the wilds, I have come to understand that the plants of this region do more than grow—they speak. They speak of place and memory, of …

The glade was still and silver under the light of the waxing moon. I moved carefully between the ferns, basket in hand, searching for the faint blue glow of the Bell-o-Dale flower. It blooms only under moonlight, its many petals wide open for a few short hours before it folds away into silence with …