In honor of last week...

...which was National Wildflower Week.

Here are some little beauties I have transplanted from various ditches. I do not know WHAT the yellow thing is. But the greenery is piney-looking. I've seen this other places, I just cannot identify it from the sites I visit.
And the other green plant is Solomon's Seal. It will bloom with lovely hanging white flowers in another week or two, when you might be forced to view them again :-)

Bracted Spiderwort, Tradescantia bracteata, sometimes called Spider Lily.
I had a bit of difficulty deciding whether this was Common or Bracted, but its short height fits with Bracted.

"Wort" (pronounced "wurt") is Anglo-Saxon for "herb" or "root," and it was once thought that this plant could cure spider bites. Thus the name, Spiderwort.

Tradescantia is named after a John Tradescant, who was the gardener for Charles the First of England (17th century). The term bracteata comes from the Latin word bracteatus, which means "conspicuously bracted".

So what is a "bract?" A specialized leaf or leaf-like part which is located at the base of a flower.

If I were really dedicated, I'd go out and take another picture just so's y'all could view the specific bract...but I wouldn't want to be accused of getting carried away.

It is said that the Lakota Indians made a jelly-like blue paint from these flowers, which was used to decorate their moccasins.

Lest you think I've done tons of research, let me dismiss that notion by admitting I obtained most of this info from the Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses site.

Here is a spiderwort that is more violet in color.


Unfortunately, only two of my wild roses came back, which means I'll be scuffling about with a shovel in the ditch one of these days...
 

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