Little moves in the heat of the July noon-day sun, save Turkey Vultures on the rising thermal, Deer Flies and Dragon Flies on the wing, in their never ending pursuit of food. If you are exceptionally lucky you will see a family of Partridge scuttle across the road: One adult on point, youngsters in the middle, and the other adult rear guard. It is the rear guard that I captured today and I am grateful for it. Alanagh, Molly, and I had finished our errands late, and we agreed that seeing this young family was an unexpected treat at this time of day.
Now is the time of Toadflax, Queen Anne’s Lace, Pinks, and Yarrow. I have often puzzled why spring wild flowers are called thus, while summer wild flowers are called weeds. They are glorious this time of year; Queen Anne’s Lace practically shimmered against blackened granite. Its feathery leaves so closely resemble Poison Hemlock amateurs must be careful not to confuse it with its course, larger, and deadly relative. If you are confident and really hungry you can eat the large, pale, woody, finger- thin roots. These should be harvested from first year plants. The leaves and flowers are edible too, and its seed can be used to flavour soup. Having said that, early Europeans cultivated Queen Anne’s Lace, and Romans ate it as a vegetable. The root is second only (amongst vegetables) to beetroot for sugar content. Irish, Hindus, and Jewish people all called upon it to sweeten puddings and other foods. It’s name, however comes from the English legend that Queen Anne of England (1665-1714) pricked her finger and a drop of blood fell the lace she was sewing.
When I was a child, I used to open the Toadflax flowers by pinching lightly at their “jaw”. The mouth of the flower is snapped so tightly that it admits only large bees that can open it to reach their long tongues to the nectar within the spur. Its orange palate attracts its pollinator, and when landed on, falls a little, showing the interior “pocket" of the flower. On the floor of this pocket are two ridges of downy hairs with a track between them that leads straight to the mouth of the long, hollow spur. The bee pushes into the pocket and retrieves the nectar using its proboscis. Meanwhile, the feasting bee is being lavishly coated with pollen from the stamens on the roof of the flower.
Delicate “Pinks” grow where few dare to try but Yarrow is a beautiful foil for them, or is it the other way around?
Ah ….Summer in full dress.
Queen Anne’s Lace
Toadflax with White Clover
Pinks
