Wildflower Wednesday

I had to make a quick trip to Grand Falls a few days ago. The flowers along the highway were so beautiful... I could have stopped a dozen time to take photos. But you know me - any excuse to stop for some photos... lol

The first wildflower this week is a new one to me. From a distance I just assumed the bright yellow was buttercups. However once I got close, I realized this was something different. I had never seen this flower before and had to come home to my trusted wildflower book to identify it. It's called Birdsfoot Trefoil and is a member of the pea family. It's a low growing plant with clover-like leaves and bright yellow pea-like flowers in a flat-topped circular cluster. It will have slender seed pods later on. This plant was introduced from Europe apparently, and the pod arrangement suggests a bird's foot, hence the common name. It's Latin name is Lotus corniculatus. (I just know you wanted to know that!  wink)

I'm sure you are familiar with my next choice- Cow Vetch or Blue Vetch (Vicia cracca). It too is a member of the Pea family. It is a common wildflower (weed?) here in the Maritimes, found in fields and along roadsides. It's a climbing plant, with twining tendrils at the end of each leafstalk. The leaves are a gray-green and the flowers are long one-sided spikes of pea-like tubular blue/purple flowers which are directed downward on a long stem. It is so pretty along roadsides especially where it grows in great mounds or drifts, adding that wonderful blue-purple color. When Buttercups or Birdsfoot Trefoil are nearby, I love the color combo of purple, yellow and green - I think it would make a great color combination for a quilt, what do you think?
I don't often do two posts in one day. If you missed my earlier post today on NYC, keep reading below...


Peace,
Linda

"Where flowers bloom, so does hope." ~ Lady Bird Johnson,  Public Roads: Where Flowers Bloom