ButtonWillowCottage

The Wayside Flower

Pluck not the wayside flower;
It is the traveler's dower.
~William Allingham

Goldenrod

One of the last big flower shows each year is courtesy of the Goldenrod. Throughout the world, 125 species of goldenrod are known; of these around 90 are found in North America.

Just about every insect with an interest in flowers may be found on goldenrod in the autumn.  Bees harvest it's nectar in great quantities in the flower-starved autumn.  In fact, goldenrods are considered one of the most important bee plants.

Brews of goldenrod have been popular throughout time. In Europe, the leaves were sometimes made into what was called Blue Mountain Wine.  Teas have been made from many of the more aromatic species, many as medicinal brews.  In the nineteenth century many of these concoctions were exported to China where they were much admired and commanded high prices. 

The flowers of various species of goldenrod have been used to make yellow dye for cloth.  Thomas Edison even experimented with it as a source for rubber! With it's many uses, not surprisingly two states-- Kentucky and Nebraska-- have named it their state flower.

Goldenrod are commonly blamed for allergies due to the fact that large swaths of them can be found growing amongst the real culprit--Ragweed.

The Goldenrod make a pleasant scene with it's varied bronzes, russets, oranges and purples it displays which colors the fall praries and meadows.  It is a sure sign that the first frosts of the cooler seasons are not long away.

There is a calm and solemn air
Along the road, by garden fair,
By rushing stream, and ev'rywhere
The sear and yellow leaf's aglow.


The foliage is growing old;
All through the verdure gleams the gold;
The rose is turning into mold;
But golden rod stands ev'rywhere.


O'er the lea and across the mead,
And far away where the cattle feed,
There blows the yellow crested reed,
The autumnal queen of flowers.


Its golden crown along the way,
Sways back and forth, and seems to say,
'I am fair Flora's Queen today,
And the wind's my messenger boy.


'And further on the wind's low wail
Proclaims my reign along the dale,
Till the tired harvester drops his flail
And hails me queen of the flowers.'

~Samuel Alfred Beadle

 

The Wayside Flower

Pluck not the wayside flower;
It is the traveler's dower.
~William Allingham

Clover

Clover is a creeping plant in the pea family which produces large amounts of nectar. In many regions of the world, people use clover to control erosion on banks and hillsides, because the plant roots well, holding back the soil, and clover is also used for animal fodder. Beekeepers who want to make clover honey place their hives in an area with a lot of clover, and they may also plant clover around their hives to encourage their bees to feed specifically on clover.

"In May sunlight,
'Mid blossoms bright,
A happy maiden wanders singing.
A chain she weaves
Of clover leaves
And daisies, in her path up-springing."

The Wayside Flower

Pluck not the wayside flower;
It is the traveler's dower.
~William Allingham

Common Blue Violet

Viola Sororia
The Common Violet is a favorite of many gardeners and romantics alike, but it has become so familiar in cultivated gardens that few consider it wild.  But, open fields and forest floors are the natural homes of common native violets. 
The violet is a wily one in it's ways of attracting bees.  It has five petals, two upper and two on the sides.  These act as "flags" to wave bees in while the last petal is a sort of landing strip.  Many species also have small veins of color that are like arrows, pointing the way into the bounty.  Some even have little hairs for the bees to grab on to, while still others dip there heads at night so as not to allow dew or rain to fall in and dilute the precious bee attracting nectar inside.
It has many romantic nicknames:  love-lies-bleeding, cuddle me, kiss-her-in-the-buttery, call-me-to-you, and Jack-jump-up-and-kiss-me are a few.
Violets are sweet and fragrant, full of sugar and nutritious!  They are plentiful in both Vitamin C and A.
It is the state flower of Wisconsin, Illinois, Rhode Island, and New Jersey.

The modest, lowly violet
In leaves of tender green is set;
So rich she cannot hide from view,
But covers all the bank with blue.
~Dora Read Goodale
 

Pluck not the wayside flower; It is the traveler's dower. ~William Allimgham

Dandelion



Taraxacum officinale
Unless you inspect a dandelion closely, you may think the head is just a mass of petals.  When in fact each "petal" is in itself a tiny tube shaped flower.  It need not be showy to attract insects, as it produces seeds without pollination, but insects do visit it.  Dandelion pollen is an important food source for many insects, especially bees.  This is due to their early spring bloom time which continues until fall making them a constant food source.  The dandelion will close up at the first few drops of rain.  It also closes in the evening and then reopens in the morning.  The dew moisture causes this to happen.  Various parts of the dandelion are used for herbal, medicinal and culinary purposes.  A hundred years ago many seed catalogs carried dandelions, even some "improved" hybrids!

Come walk with me along this willowed lane,
Where, like lost coinage from some miser's store,
The golden dandelions more and more
Glow, as the warm sun kisses them again!
~ Henry Sylvester Cornwell