365 Urban Species. #084: Snowdrop

[urbpan]

photo by cottonmanifesto
Urban species #84: Snowdrop Galanthus nivalis

As the twentieth century came to a close, I found myself living in a house in the Boston neighborhood of Brighton. The house had a very small but lush yard, and I made it my business to learn the names of the plants in it. An old book from my mother's library, Peterson's Guide to Wildflowers, was my tool in this endeavor. I learned about black swallow-wort, white snakeweed, black medick, and others.

Summer passed into fall and winter, and with field guide in hand I waited for spring. The first new flowers to arrive were precious little white ones, dangling like tiny three-petaled bells. The Peterson's guide did not identify them. How, I wondered, could such a distinctive plant be skipped from the book--these little flowers growing in an urban yard, surely they should be easy to find and name.

Of course my mistake was in thinking that they were wildflowers. Like so many plants found in the city, snowdrops are deliberately placed in the landscape. They're a good choice for Boston; they are hardy, and the blooms last longer in gloomy weather--a given, in our late winter, when they appear. Often there is still snow on the ground when their bulbs send the blooms up.

Snowdrop is native to Europe, but despite its widespread introduction, is not natualized in North America. When encountered here, it has been planted.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I have seen that picture before in one fishing guide. It is wonderful.
http://www.fishingguidedirect.net