Intersection

“Some days we go up, some days we go down, some days are sideways and some days we get thorns. OUCH!”

A poem inspired by the weed commonly known as the Prickly Lettuce, or Lactuca Serriola!

This weed has kept me traveling many paths, searching for the perfect angle to capture its unique beauty. It grows in many directions and this particular plant happened to have just the right intersection of angles to make a photo worthwhile. Only upon writing this post did I manage to identify it, and I am pleasantly surprised that the weed namers gave it the perfect moniker, as it possesses rich green leaves that look somewhat appetizing (except for the thorns, or course – which are quite impressive)! Hence the common name, Prickly Lettuce.

I was a grateful recipient of several weed identifying books over the summer, and I’ve found this one in several of them! Eureka! According to some sources the leaves are edible when young, but I wouldn’t try it. Any plant that would issue so many thorns must have something quite valuable at stake and is stating emphatically, “Stay away!” I shall remember that when I encounter a person with a thorny attitude.

Please come back tomorrow for a new “Weed Image of the Day” and let me know which ones you like.

We and our weeds are so much more than what we first appear to be.

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