Phlox adsurgens

photos © UC Berkley

When I think of woodland phlox it's always in fantastic scenes, the likes of which Tolkien or Spenser or Shakespeare dreamed up - and although I've never come across it in its natural habitat (it's native to the Pacific Northwest) I believe I've fallen in love with it, and mostly through photographs.

These are a common perennial utilized in gardens across the country. Their color ranges from dusty pink to off-white and even purple, but they are perhaps most loved for their talent at drawing in butterflies.

Taraxacum Officinale

This post comes after yesterday's Springtime weather - and after my having seen a solitary dandelion growing up and out of the small space between the sidewalk and a building.

Another of the under-appreciated and misunderstood "weeds," the common dandelion persists as a highly adaptable and hardy plant. It is actually classified as a "beneficial weed" due to its wide range of use, including but not limited to the following: 1) its introduction of key/essential nutrients to the soil, 2)  its use in a wide variety of cuisines and food dishes, 3) its utility in folk and modern-day medicinal practices, and, most beautifully, 4) its implementation in the art of adornment, bodily or otherwise. One can't help but to think of small children with flecks of yellow in their hair or faint golden streaks on their faces and hands.