Betsy Moyer, photography

Click of the camera

Since Moyer lived 700 miles away

from North Carolina, one of the greatest

challenges in producing Paul Green’s

Plant Book was finding time to

photograph the plants here. Moore also

supplied the energy for that endeavor.

“We would no sooner finish one

photographic excursion to the Sandhills

or Cape Fear River, when Ken would

inquire when the next would take place,”

says Moyer. “I made 10 photographic

trips to North Carolina, and every time

Ken would have prepared a list of the

plants in bloom and where we would be

able to find them. The main caveat:

The plants we pursued had to be

among the several hundred mentioned

in the Wordbook, since that was my

text. Ken’s contribution to this book

cannot be overstated.”

One of Moyer’s favorite adventures

with Moore was hanging on to a tree

while photographing trailing arbutus on

a steep hillside below Barbecue Church

near Sanford where her father and

mother once discovered a patch of the

delicate flowers. According to Paul

Green’s Plant Book, “A tincture of the

plant was once used for kidney trouble,

so the herb artist says.”

“Barbecue Church had been attended

by Flora Macdonald back in the 18th

century, and my parents were thrilled to

think they were walking in the footsteps

of this legendary woman,” says Moyer.

Macdonald was a famous Scot who

immigrated to North Carolina in

1750 and supported the Hanovarians

at the start of the American War of

Independence. “I had the thrill, too, of

following along two-and-a-half centuries

later and capturing a shot of the arbutus

— without catapulting camera, tripod,

and all down the steep hill.”

Cherished childhood

But before the photographic trips to

North Carolina, before Ken Moore’s

influence, and before Moyer’s original

inkling of inspiration in her dad’s work

cabin, there was her childhood.

Moyer grew up on 200 acres in the

country on what was then the outskirts

of Chapel Hill at the end of a dirt road

named Greenwood. During this time,

her father pursued his writing and

taught on and off at the University of

North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the

departments of English, philosophy, and

dramatic arts. “My dad was ever a

teacher and, in that capacity, knew that

most significant learning takes place in

an atmosphere of fun,” says Moyer.

“Walks in the woods were frequent and

were opportunities for learning and for

friendly competition among us four kids.

“Dad taught us how to identify trees

and plants, how to know which direction

we were walking in — he always knew

because it was a matter of great

importance to him in his childhood days

— and all manner of things to do with

nature and her ways. The child who

could identify the most trees, for

example, would win the prize of his

approbation. But,” she adds, “we were

all winners.”

Moyer also learned by observing. She

says she recalls her parents’ wildflower

garden, which was one of their passions.

“I can remember trips during which my

mother would ask to stop the car and

would get out to collect the seed pods of

some flower growing beside the road.

Next year, you’d see the flower blooming

in their wildflower garden.”

Moyer’s cherished childhood encounters with nature, learning, and her love of family is evident, not only in her recollections, but in the book itself. Several family members contributed to the work: There are photographic offerings from Moyer’s sister, Byrd Green Cornwell; another sister, Janet M.Green, wrote their dad’s profile; niece Dorrit Green designed the book; and Moyer’s great-niece appears in a few photos. Brother Paul Green and his wife, Dorritt, made a generous monetary donation to the book — as did her cousin, the late Betty Cheek, and husband, Charles — through the Community Foundation of Greensboro’s Prickett Fund. Even an attorney nephew contributed by suggesting that Moyer include a disclaimer about the medicinal properties of the plants described in the book.

When asked what her father would think about the book, Moyer says, “He would be pleased.”

When asked how her father might feel about the praise the book has received — from notables like composer and lyricist Richard Adler; North Carolina writer and activist John Ehle; Dr. C. Ritchie Bell, professor emeritus of botany at UNC and founder of the North Carolina Botanical Garden; and William Friday, president emeritus, University of North Carolina — Moyer laughs. “I can see him,” she says. “He had a gesture, a shy gesture, where he would push back his hat and sort of half-mutter, ‘Oh gosh, you shouldn’t do that.’ ” The praise, however, is well deserved.

Amy Jo Wood, marketing director for Our State, lives in High Point.

Paul Green’s Plant Book: An Alphabet of Flowers & Folklore is available at bookstores or through the North Carolina Botanical Garden at www.ncbg.unc.edu. A portion of the proceeds will go to the North Carolina Botanical Garden Education Fund and the Paul Green Cabin. Hear Betsy Green Moyer and Ken Moore talk about the book at the Best of Our State at Pinehurst, June 30-July 2.