It is pronounced Daily Bouquet isn't it?
The Daily Bucket Bouquet is a regular feature of the Backyard Science group. It is a place to note any observations you have made of the world around you. Insects, weather, meteorites, climate, birds and/or flowers. All are worthy additions to the bucket. Please let us know what is going on around you in a comment. Include, as close as is comfortable for you, where you are located. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the patterns that are quietly unwinding around us.
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Each fall come the rains and with the rains come the grape hyacinths. Their little bulbs having quietly waited nestled in the soil through the heat of summer. The scientific name is
Muscari armeniacum. Muscari from the Greek word for musk, so you can imagine the fragrance, and armenia because they are native to Armenia. I'm not going to google that last bit.
Preferring the cool moist air, they stretch out their thin floppy leaves at the first sign of fall. But they're just keeping up appearances. Their bunches of little cobalt blue vases, resembling grapes, won't be arriving until spring. So you have quite a wait for the grape part. Seems strange for a plant to emerge in the fall and thrive in the winter only to die in the early spring.
Gather ye lilies while ye may, old time is still a-flying; And the same flower that smiles today tomorrow will be dying.
Robert Herrick
Also making an appearance this time of year and with a bit more color is The Hurricane or Red Spider Lily,
Lycoris radiata. It pops up seemingly overnight shooting up tall and spreading out it's long, curled stamens. Originally from China they were transported to Japan and from there, to the U.S.
The plant was first introduced into the United States in 1854 when Japanese ports were opened for US trade. Captain William Roberts, who enjoyed botany, brought back only three bulbs of the red spider lily. The bulbs were then planted by his niece who found that they do not bloom until after the first good rain in the fall season.
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Naturally, the Yellow Rain Lily, Zephyranthes aurea, comes with
the rain. Known in some parts as
the Fairy Lily because the flower looks like a fairy's skirt.
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Speaking of naked, fall rain also summons the Naked Ladies or Oxblood Lilies,
Rhodophiala bifida. As opposed to the grape hyacinths, the naked ladies pop up with no leaves and are therefore - naked. Apparently, just about any flower blooming before the plant leafs out is called a naked lady. They were very popular as passalong plants and as a result can be seen all over town after a rain. Native to Argentina, oxblood lilies were introduced to Texas by German settlers. They naturalized well here. They are sometimes called Schoolhouse Lilies because the bulbs send up their stalks right around the start of the school year. Another common names is Hurricane Lily since often the rain comes from a late season hurricane.
Last is the Oxalis, deriving it's name from the Greek for acid due to it's acidic taste. This little clover looking plant pops up each spring and again in the fall.
As you can see we are having something of a second spring here in North Texas. It is pleasantly refreshing after the long hot summer.
Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
Albert Camus
You're up! What's popping in your neighborhood? You don't need to say if you're naked, but giving your location is encouraged.
"Green Diary Rescue" is Back!
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