The Dawn of Summer, Part II



Today we continue our journey through the beginning of the bountiful season. Let's start with the reason I initiated this journey: irises. Irises fascinate me. Their many colors and elegant shapes, propped upon tall, slender stalks have resonated with me all my life.

 

Here are a couple of iris bushes, though shot from afar. Also, note the peony on the right.

 



This beautiful, buttery iris was in a cemetery near my house. I must be hungry (even if not, I've always got food on the brain)--this flower reminds me of popcorn.

Even if a patch of land is unkempt, irises always spruce it up, as shown here.

Another elegant plant nearby was this yucca.

But what's this? That, my friends, is the start of a beautiful bounty in the form of blooms. Yucca flowers, as I've said in other posts, are completely edible. You'd better believe that I'm going to scavenge some when they arrive. I don't exactly know what these flowers taste like, but I can see myself sautéing them with onions, garlic, corn, beans, and jalapenos, then serving that over rice with some pork brisket for a Southwestern dinner. That sounds excellent. Maybe I am hungry.

This passageway is an example of the great aesthetic feats plants can accomplish. No other material, organic or otherwise, could make this area look so inviting and mysterious. It reminds me of The Secret Garden.

Here's another yucca inflorescence stalk (read: stalk where flowers will grow) forming, this one farther along. If I knew what yucca tasted like, I'd almost be able to taste the flowers already.

I noticed a lot of weeds on my walkabout. These two plants are buckhorn plantains (Plantago lanceolata). Why are they significant? They're edible! Young leaves can be included in salads, and older leaves can be cooked like any other leafy green. Yes, I want to try this, and yes, I will post about it when I do.

A few years ago, this cemetery (which was originally a "colored cemetery" dating back to the Civil War) got a nice entrance gate and some landscaping around it. While it was a nice gesture, and it does look much better, there are silk flowers adorning the gate. However, there are also these pretty rose bushes. The peachy-pink blooms are unique, at least in town.

What evidence of summer have you found?

Next post: probably more moments in summer's morning.

Yuccas Galore!

I took another walk around town. A black cat crossed my path twice, so I believe I am under the community's auspices in displaying photos of the neighborhood flora. Over the next couple of posts, I will focus on two interesting trends: spring wildflowers appearing immediately after snowfall and yuccas. For added fun I'll throw in a couple of other interesting plants I noticed in my travels.

I'll start with the yuccas. This is just a smattering of the many, many individuals I've seen around. I'll say it again: when yucca blooming time comes around, I'm going to feast on these suckers' flowers. Most of these plants are just randomly placed in yards, seemingly. I'm okay with that.

Though yuccas are from much warmer climes, most of these seem to be handling our winters very well.

I keep saying that the daffodils around here are sad or tired looking, but they're doing okay after the snow. Just a bit droopy.

Look at the stalk on this one! It's easily taller than I am.

These yuccas looked a little different than all the Yucca glauca around town. Judging by the spiral fibers among their leaves, I'm guessing they're Yucca filamentosa. You can sort of see them in this picture.

There's even a yucca in my yard! I had no idea! This means that not all of the yucca harvest this summer  will be stolen.

Are yuccas common where you live? Are there any other plants that seem like an odd choice for your region that you see everywhere anyway? Have you ever eaten yucca?

Next post: wildflowers proclaim spring after enduring hardship.