The Urban Pantheist

We like going to Castle Island for a bunch of reasons. It's an interesting place with great views of the city and of the harbor island, there are cool birds there, and there are usually far fewer off-leash dogs there than at other places we walk. Usually. Yesterday was a sunny Sunday in the 50's following a work week that was bitterly cold, so there were tons of people out. More people at Castle Island than are there even in the middle of summer. And more off-leash dogs than ever before. So that meant paying a lot of attention to our dogs (making sure they weren't snuck up on, and that they didn't start freaking out at distant loose dogs) and not so much picture taking. Sadly, Alex has been sick and couldn't join us, and we miss her and hope she feels better soon. So, anyway, only three pictures, not too great, but better than nothing, right?



cottonmanifesto and rockbalancer and Maggie with Deer Island in the background.

( two more )

Photos by cottonmanifesto. Location: corner of Jamaicaway and Brookline Ave, Boston.

Urban species #184: Chicory Cichorium intybus

Sometimes solitary, sometimes in dazzling groups, chicory blossoms resemble blue dandelions. I don't wish to play favorites, but chicory is without a doubt my favorite urban wildflower. The color is hard to capture in a photograph, and hard even to describe. The light blue is luminous, with a touch of violet. It's pale but rich, turning traffic islands and vacant lots into unplanned gardens. Each plant may have several blossoms, but each blossom is short-lived. A picked chicory flower withers in minutes. On the plant, the blossoms open early in the morning and close between midday and early afternoon.

Chicory is an exceedingly common weed in the Northeast and elsewhere, and yet many people are surprised to learn that it grows wild in the city. Chicory has been cultivated in Europe for centuries, for a wide variety of uses. The foliage is used for salad greens and the root is used as a vegetable. The roots can be stored over winter and new greens grown from them for winter salad. In North America, chicory is most well known as an additive to, or substitute for, coffee. The root is roasted and ground to be used as a hot drink, which, though lacking caffeine, tastes similar to coffee. During wartime shortages, chicory was used to extend coffee supplies.



( But will it grow on the beach? )