Cornflower, also commonly known as Bachelor's Button, is technically not a flower of the Inland Northwest, but it's found throughout the region so we might as well deal with it. It ranks as a noxious weed in ag circles but is adored by some home gardeners and has a unique beauty that's worth appreciating. This annual comes from Europe.
This comment from the wiki site caught my attention:
In the past it often grew as a weed in crop fields, hence its name (fields growing grains such as wheat, barley, rye, or oats were formerly known as "corn fields" in England). It is now endangered in its native habitat by agricultural intensification, particularly over-use of herbicides, destroying its habitat; in the United Kingdom it has declined from 264 sites to just 3 sites in the last 50 years.
One person's noxious invader is another person's endangered species.
My favorite characteristic of the cornflowers we've seen in and around Spokane is that they come in a delightful variety of colors.
"It looks like a bug with feathers flying out." Lily
Craig, a bit of wildflower trivia - the wild rose is the official provincial flower of Alberta.
Posted by: Brad Thiessen | 07/04/2009 at 07:13 AM