Friday, May 7, 2010

Buttercups Blowin' in the Wind

They're called a variety of names, from Pink Evening Primrose, to Pink Ladies, to Pink Buttercups ... but whatever they're called, they are one of my favorite wildflowers that appear this time of year.

They grow on the sides of the interstates and highways, their delicate pastel pink blooms blowing gracefully in the wind from passing cars, and I've seen them literally growing out of cracks in concrete and asphalt.

I tried to "transplant" some several years ago, from a deserted lot in downtown Jackson, but they never looked as pretty in my flower bed as they did growing on that old vacant lot. Perhaps there's a lesson to learn from that.

I found some growing on the side of Old Highway 80 the other day, between Edwards and Bovina, Mississippi, and stopped to capture them with my camera, instead of a shovel.

They are truly beautiful little flowers and I enjoyed seeing them up close through my lens.

You can click on the pictures to enlarge them, if you'd like.

If you would like to see more photos of the wildflowers I saw on my drive through the country, you can click on the links below:

Honeysuckle and Wild Roses
Roadside Daisies

4 comments:

Tonja said...

These flowers look so delicate when you see them so close...but obviously they are very sturdy. I, too, have seen them growing in hard dirt, and vacant lots, and places where flowers are not what you expect to see.

Your lesson to me with these posts on wildflowers, is to look for beauty in all places, and to take the time to enjoy that beauty when you find it!

You are always teaching such wonderful lessons with your photography. Thank You!

Marjorie (Molly) Smith said...

I agree Janie, the Buttercup is one of the prettiest wild flowers I've ever seen. Our County has been going around spraying the sides of the roads and alas killing our beautiful wild flowers before they can bloom.
Thanks for capturing these lovelies for us.
Molly

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Janie, I cannot see one of these beautiful wildflowers and not immediately think of my father. Thank you for sharing these. They are lovely and bring back lovely memories.

XO,

Sheila :-)

RachelD said...

Oh, the Primroses!! That's the name we had for them, and I always wanted to see a real Buttercup---that hold-it-beneath-your-chin thing was fascinating to me, as is all lore of flowers.

The one against the blue sky, now---she's a sassy girl with her arm upflung in a dance, and her face shaded to keep her secrets.

But the last little open, honest face---now, that's a friend you can tell YOUR secrets to.

I love your knack for capturing not only the beauty, but the persona of things.