Harvesting wildflowers
I should probably say most of the ones we find and bring home are considered weeds or invasive species. We consider it our civic duty, so to speak, to rid the empty plots of land of these, where most people disdain them, and instead give them a wonderful centre place at our dining room table.
While we are no strangers to our local flower shop, and we do buy from time to time carnations, peonies, ranunculus and what not, I love the actual harvesting more than anything: the laughs along the way, the ewwws exclaimed when we find spit bugs or worms, the questions that arise on why some flowers are yellow and some are white, why do some have thorns and some grow little strawberries instead, time spent outside is time well spent I say.
Living in northern Ontario we were introduced to many wildflowers, many of them protected, which we admired and left alone. We learned their names as we found them by road sides and along boreal forest paths. Here in southern Ontario the climate is slightly different and we are pleased to now find many that we had only seen in photos while learning others' names. Some of the ones spotted so far: hawkweed, birdsfoot trefoil, cow vetch, soapwort, white yarrow, burdock, sow thistle, mayweed, silvery cinquefoil, buttercups, daisies, dandelion, red and white clover, canada thistle, dame's rocket and white campion.
My eldest is very interested in edible weeds, and so perhaps we will have to try some. For now, we dedicate a few mornings a week to replenish our flower vases, to enjoy exciting discoveries, to learn new flowers, to draw them and recognize them. I am absolutely obsessed with tall grasses, so I need to figure those out too.
I hope you enjoyed our little walk through the green meadow.
