Monday, July 21, 2008

Queen Anne's Lace

I call it "a wayside bloom with a heart", and that is surely so for it wears a single red petal in its centre, an enticement to foraging bees to visit, drink of its nectar and spread its pollen far and wide.

There are whole forests of these elegant creatures along the roadsides in Lanark right now, waving gently to and fro in the exuberant July breezes. In autumn when the flower heads dry out, I spend hours and hours photographing their delicate lacy architecture.

3 comments:

One Woman's Journey - a journal being written from Woodhaven - her cottage in the woods. said...

Cate, I love this flower. At my country home the fields were covered with them.
Several times I tried to transplant some to my garden near home.
No luck. Seemed they did not want to be tamed.

Tabor said...

We have a four foot tall one against the fence at the vegetable garden and I have cut some of the blossoms to bring indoors. They seem to last for ever leaving a gentle sprinkle of petals throughout the week.

Weeping Sore said...

We have some volunteer wild carrot growing in our public veggie garden. Although the Horticultural Director told me to yank it out before it self-seeded, I defied him. The bees love it, and once it draws them in, they've been messing around in the zucchini and squash, pollinating them like mad. So, not only is this beautiful, I've found it "useful". What's not to like?