Wild Things from the Wild Woods

Did a little wash, lube, and adjust on Rover II before taking it for its latest spin up 600 through the Wild Woods. Hit the 2500 km mark yesterday since Feb 2016, so thats nearly 4000 total since I got Rover I in December.

As expected there were a few Wild Things about to note. The first was right outside my door. We have a mystery plant that started sending up sprouts a few years back and now it heralds every spring with a yearly explosion of shoots, that literally shoot up 4-6 inches every day. I have to tie them up to a stake to keep them from tipping over, It has little green spikey flowers forming a globe. Every morning it's there to greet me as I set off. No idea where it came from or what it is so I just call it the Wild Thing from the Wild Woods.

We have a few other Wild Things around the garden  with a a real explosion of volunteer Columbine this year. Beautiful flowers.

A Wild Thing from the Wild Woods
growing outside my door

Wild Clumbine is flourishing in the
garden this year

As I set off up the road the shoulder and ditches are wearing their best finery these days. The  grass is so green it nearly hurts your peepers. Scattered throughout are tufts of purple Vetch and the yellow of Birdsfoot Trefoil is everywhere. Trefoil for you non farmers is a legume imported from Europe many decades ago that became popular as a pasture forage for cattle as it does not carry the danger of making ruminants bloat like alfalfa can. It is a very tough, self-seeding plant that prevents erosion so has been seeded extensively along ditches and road right of ways. It blossoms all summer long and makes great bee forage

There are lots of other blooms, ox-eye daisy, milkweed (for the Monarch butterflies) sweet clover, goat,s beard, tall buttercup, and a half dozen other flowers we generally refer to as weeds, but here and now they are not hurting anyone, so let's enjoy them

At the northern limit of my ride I stopped by a tangle of briars that were sporting cluster of wild roses. The air was cool and moist and the fragrance. 'Would a rose by any other name smell less sweet?

About 10 days ago I noticed a few Yellow Lady's Slippers along the ditches. This member of the  genus Cypripedium is one of our native orchids. Although rather rare, today they seemed to be everywhere. Native people used a solution from their roots in traditional medicine.

Would a rose by any other name
smell less sweet

Yellow Lady's Slipper were used in
Native medicine

 But today I saw the star attraction the Pink or sometimes called the Showy Lady's Slipper. They were just popping up along the ditch in the moist soil in the shade of the poplar trees. These are quite rare here unless you know where to look. Several people have tried to cultivate these beauties, but they seem to prefer the wilderness rather than the city. They should not be disturbed

The Pink or sometimes  called Showy Lady's Slipper (genus Cypripedium)
blushing at my intrusion into her shady bower

 So a beautiful day for a ride, Just poking along enjoying every moment. Lots of stops, lots of digital bouquets, no traffic, no hurry.... "along about knee deep in June"