A Pair Of Early April Bloomers

This doll is called Ragwort, Senecio aureus, from one of the largest genera of flowering plants containing over 1000 species, including leaf, stem and tuber succulents, annuals, perennials, aquatics, climbers, shrubs and small trees. The most readily recognized perennial is the Daisey.

And from my perspective this amazing corporate membership is less interesting than it's heritage among a class of plants described as "wort". It's an Old World nomenclature that traces the word "wort" to the Old English word wyrt, which traces it's origins from the Germanic word for "root." And that goes to the use of many of these as medicinals and/or poisons. Something about which persons as diversely identified as doctors to witches would have knowledge.

As to ragwort itself, it would fall into the camp of the "poisons." I prefer to enjoy it's sunny yellow beauty. And appreciate the fact that the deer leave it alone.

Here is the other early April bloomer: Money Plant, also known as Honesty Plant. It's predom- inantly a biennial, and my colony has taken to bloom in cycles of strong years and weak years. This is a weak year.

This photo of the Money Plant, Lunaria biennis, shows it blooming in the lower garden along the edge of a small roundish rustic patio I created back in 1995. The photo was taken around 6 pm this early evening when the sun was particularly golden.

It's native to Germany. In the 1500's it was exported to England, where puritan separatists included it in their bevy of seeds to bring to the New World. Like me, it's invasive. But both of our ancestors landed here in the 1630's, and so we are arrogant enough to proclaim our status as Americans inviolate while we judge more recent arrivals as invasive if they threaten our status. I mean, my God, it is a "Money" plant and an "Honesty" plant. Am I supposed to lie?