Where in Mississippi is... Flora? (Small-Town Spotlight).

For our spring issue, even though most of trees were still bare and the sky a bit dreary, Art Director Lori Brechtel and I decided to journey to a town whose name indicates the lush plant life we were so anticipating in early February. We knew that the town was not named for the botanical meaning of the word, thanks to the author of our Looking Back department and local history expert, Forrest Cooper. He reported in his story, "Named in Her Honor," about the many towns in Mississippi that have been named in honor of women. According to Forrest, Flora in Madison County, was named for the wife of William B. Jones, a landowner who donated property for the building of the train depot when the Illinois Central Railroad began moving into the area in 1882.

However, with springtime ever near, Lori and I decided to take a trip to Flora to see if perhaps the town's name could have a double meaning. Traveling north on Highway 49 took us directly to Flora, nestled between Pocahontas and Bentonia. On the east side of the highway is the Mississippi Petrified Forest, a privately owned segment of land, declared a Registered National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service in 1966. It is the only petrified forest in the Eastern United States. The forest features a six-block walking nature trail, where visitors can wander among once-living trees now turned to stone. An earth science museum, filled with a collection of fossils, minerals, petrified wood samples, and information about geological history awaits guests at the end of the trail. School children across the state have visited the forest over the years; Lori went with her second grade class, and I was supposed to go with my third grade class, but they had to leave me behind with a stomach virus. A campground facility and picnic area are also located on the grounds of the Petrified Forest.

Across the highway from the Petrified Forest lies Flora proper. A cute little train station occupies one end of Main Street, and as we continued down the downtown strip, we noticed a few shops, Gale's Flowerbed, a discount furniture store, and Annie M's Cafe and Catering, among others. Toward the other end of town is Flora Middle School, which houses the Madison County Schools Superintendent's Office. Flora is also home to Tri-County Academy.

Searching for any spring flora was beginning to seem fruitless as we drove on, although we did notice some daffodils blooming along the edge of a fence off of the highway. Finally, after driving through town, we noticed from a distance a very lovely church. As we drove closer, we saw the flora we had anticipated on the grounds of First Baptist Church of Flora. A gigantic Japanese magnolia tree in front of the red brick church was in full, perfect bloom; a magnificent profusion of purple and white. The juxtaposition of one of God's most beautiful creations in nature and a house of worship seemed most appropriate as a symbol for the coming spring; it was a picture of new life. Even the stained glass windows were colored with the same purple of the tree's vibrant petals. With this discovery, we sat reflecting for several minutes on the beauty of this scene, even against a cold, milky white sky, the church and the tree were exactly what we were looking for in Flora, we just didn't know it until that moment. As th e spring approaches, and the whole landscape of Mississippi is in bloom, we hope you will stop to reflect on the beauty of our state's flora. If you happen to be in the vicinity of Madison County, take a quick detour and drive past Flora's First Baptist Church. Its lovely architecture will be worth your time, but if you hurry, maybe the tree will still be in bloom too.