Jack Go To Bed At Noon
Last year this rather exotic looking flower appeared on mine and several other allotments for the first time. Having been stumped (again) by Mr Allotment Warden as to its identity, I rushed home to find out what it was. It's salsify, aka the marvellous Jack Go To Bed At Noon - named as such because its flowers always close by midday. Here you can see both open and closed flowers - making it seem even more exotic and alien than in the first picture. I think this must be the cultivated version because the flower in my Francis Rose Wild Flower Key looks exactly the same in form, but is bright yellow in colour and called meadow salsify . Its other common name is Goatsbeard, which must be a nod to the fantastic dandelion-like clock which forms the seed head. With 'parachutes' like those shown above, who knows how far our plotted plants came from. I rather like the photographic dissection of the seedhead found in this link . Salsify is edible: its lateral shoots and fl
Very interesting!
ReplyDeleteHope you are having a wonderful day!
Rain here, but good for the garden. My Kentucky Wonder pole beans are just coming up.
Lea
Lea's Menagerie
Great pic!
ReplyDeleteGreat picture. Like Wordless Wednesdays. Can I use your idea?
ReplyDeleteS/he's being shy, but do I detect the tell-tale tail of a Canada goose?
ReplyDeleteLea and Rusty Duck - thank you :)
ReplyDeleteEleanor - gosh it's not my idea, but one of the longest running blog memes. Strictly speaking ('cos it's good to acknowledge the source of an idea) I should have linked to the blog where lots of people leave links to their WW efforts. You're very welcome to join in :)
Two other memes I join in regularly (which aren't mine)are Garden Bloggers' Blooms Day (15th of the month) and Garden Bloggers' Muse Day (1st of the month). Then there's my own Salad Days, which is on the fourth Friday of the month. Out on the Streets looking at public planting is one of mine too, but tends to be more random than regular these days.
Helen - I think it's a pink footed goose, s/he was a bit small to be a Canada goose, though there are loads of them to be seen on the Thames in London!
BTW I just look at this photo and smile :)
ReplyDeleteI hope he didn't eat all the flowers! Pigeons here are very hungry and seem to be nipping the tops off any plant that the slugs don't get first - I wonder if geese like bedding plants! Lovely photo, great fun! C x
ReplyDeleteCaro - I didn't spot the goose at first, but when I did I just had to stop and take the photo :) I spotted the pigeons doing the same thing in the apple trees in the garden behind us today. It's been a hard spring for them and the other birds here so far this year.
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