A bee visits a wild chicory flower on the vineyard's edge.I remember wild chicory from my childhood in upstate New York and had pretty much forgotten about it during my time in California. When I noticed the tell-tale blue flowers here in France they brought back memories of those endless summers as a kid out in the country.
Lots of flowers spark memories for me. It's like how hearing an old song can transport you back in time. I remember goldenrod and Queen Anne's lace like that, too. Magnolias remind me of the days I lived in Washington, DC. And yuccas and cactus remind me of trips to southern California.
Do you have flower-related memories?
Mimosa reminds me of vacations on the Côte d'Azur...
ReplyDeleteAnd it's my favorite "flower".
Yes, Cytise (Laburnum anagyroides) and Saxifrage (Saxifraga sarmentosa[?]) always remind me of when we had a huge garden in the heart of Paris....Tempus fugit!
ReplyDeleteDandelions! As a kid, I loved them. They were summer to me and so cheery yellow after a long grey winter in northern Minnesota. Of course, my parents kept trying to get them out of the lawn, but there were always plenty of them around. Keeping just ahead of the lawnmower, I picked bunches and buried my nose in them...ahhhhhhh!
ReplyDeleteAnd to really aggravate my parents, I picked the old ones gone to seed and blew them all over the lawn...allowance be d**+ed!
Thanks for making me think of them.
Anthurium reminds me of the little island where I grew up. Hot and humid and celebrating Christmas under the tropics :-)
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthurium
making clover chains at camp
ReplyDeleteThat would be 'bearclaw' or 'Heracleum sphondylium'. When I was a two-three old, my father would pick one for me, and I would walk around, (and please don't laugh now) holding it over my head, singing 'papuute-papuute' ... which apparently was baby-talk for 'parapluie' (umbrella) :)). Martine
ReplyDeleteMorning glories... my mom planted them in our backyard. They were blue-purple. And I loved how they would open in the morning and close later in the day.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was young my grandmother had a huge bed of Opium Poppies that were gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteThe odor of star jasmine always takes me back to my walks to school in June in Los Angeles, and the excitement of knowing that school was almost out for the summer.
ReplyDeleteWe had chicory in the field next to the place we lived in Mt Prospect, Illinois in the '70's. I'd never seen it before and thought it was pretty.
clover chains,daffodils,irises wow you made me think of memories I haven't thought of in a while, have a wonderful weekend....Barb
ReplyDeleteGolden Rod was in my parents' garden when I was a child. It must have been there for years, and I don't think I've consciously noticed it anywhere else, so unfashionable must it have been. Other plants that recall that garden - Japanese anemones, and chestnut blossom (which always gives me a lift, as it comes so early, and then a sadness as it goes over equally early).
ReplyDeletebluebells...i used to go down to the creek and pick them. i even named my cat bluebell. i was an herbie from the get go!
ReplyDeletealso, henbit and sheep sorrel. we used to eat the ss and suck the nectar from the henbit flowers. we called them bunny ears because we didn't know their name and the little flowers resembled bunny heads.
Thanks for all the cool memories, everyone!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in college in LA, a girl who I adored had fallen in love with me. I knew she felt strongly & I knew I was gay. I didn't want to hurt her, but I didn't want to push her away. It was a balancing act. I had once mentioned to her that my favorite flower was Bachelor Buttons. On an opening night of a play in which I had a very showy role, probably a year after telling her I was a big homo, she gave me a HUGE(I mean like 15 dozen) bouquet of Blue Bachelor Buttons. I was impressed. I was touched. They made me happy & they made me very sad.
ReplyDelete