Chicory is blooming on roadsides, its periwinkle flowers adding a new color to the weedy bouquet of medians and field edges. Chicory originally hails from Europe, where its roots have long been cooked, ground up, and used as a coffee substitute. This usage followed the plant across the pond, where people do still substitute the bitter root for exotic coffee beans.
Dragonfly of the day: this meadowhawk (and presumably a few of its buddies) have been hanging out around my yard of late. Its orange is quite striking, its movements darty, and its body more compact than the pondhawks pictured previously.
Bottlebrush grass is flowering; the tiny yellow grass flowers hang and blow in the breeze as though hardly attached at all.In the garden, strawberries are finished, but snap peas are coming in strong -- we're getting large handfuls a day since Thursday. (Blurry) broccoli is starting to form flowerheads and will be ready soon, and cukes are tiny little mini-fruits.
And. It has been pointed out that I am the first to complain when it is too hot or cold or wet or windy, but fail to express gratitude when it is perfect. Today was perfect, weatherwise, and I am thankful to the weather gods for this -- I spent many hours outside. (Now if the weather gods could just chat with the mosquito gods...)
