Queen Anne's Lace The Full Picture

I have been watching the Tour de France from bed lately, since live coverage begins here at 4 or 5am. This morning we were awake at 6 to watch the boys fly through Alsace. We were in Colmar and Mulhouse ten years ago, and hoped for a few glimpses of the colorful half timbered houses. No such luck, but it was an exciting, hilly stage with a surprise ending.

I took 56 pictures of Queen Anne's Lace in the parched field this morning. It was hot. Sweat was trickling down my backbone. Ozzie was lying down in the shade. OilMan was complaining that he couldn't. We'd all had enough of the sun and of the Queen Anne's Lace

According to my Google researches, Queen Anne's Lace earned its common name from a legend that tells of Queen Anne of England (1665-1714) pricking her finger while sewing some lace. The single tiny red flower found in the center of some blossoms looks like a drop of blood. I couldn't find any explanation for this little flower, and they seemed to have turned dark or fallen off entirely on most of the blooms I found today.

I finally decided that my parting shot of this intriguing weed should be one of the entire plant thriving in its tinder dry setting, showing good examples of several phases. I also learned from my Google researches, that I am far from the first person to have thought of documenting each phase of the plant cycle. I have been entertained and fascinated for nearly a week, but I am ready to move on.

We went out this afternoon and bought some red umbrellas to put over our vegetable garden. It is too hot for anything to grow properly, even with extra water. Apparently we should have built the arbor over the veggies!