By Scott Shephard
A dandelion is a flower. But in most lawns in my town, it is a weed. Canada thistle is a weed and is considered a noxious weed no matter where is grows. (Unless you live in Scotland, where it is the national flower. And, yes, there’s a story here if you care learn about it.)
By definition, a weed is “a wild plant growing where it is not wanted and in competition with cultivated plants.” Of course some reading this know that “weed” is also slang for the product to which South Dakota voters said, “YES!” by populist mandate but to which our liberty loving governor responded with a resounding “NO!” But I digress . . . .
I found these delicate quarter-sized blue flowers growing along the side of the road in the Black Hills. These aren’t typical wildflowers in our state and certainly not in the Black Hills. It was only after I had photographed a few other flowers in their vicinity that they caught my attention. Because they were totally out of place, I thought of them initially as a photogenic weed.
What are “they?” I didn’t know. I used the amazing Google lens tool on my phone and quickly learned that these are flax flowers. I had seen flax flowers before but only years ago as a collective sea of blue in cultivated fields near my home town. I had never seen them growing randomly in a small cluster on the edge of a national forest. And I had never looked at a flax flower up close. I am grateful that they invited me to take their portrait. They posed nicely.
In a nod to Cliff Claven of “Cheers,” I have to tell you that is it “a little known fact that . . .”
Flax seed is used in food (muffins, pancakes etc.)
Flax seed is used to make linseed oil, which is used by artists and as a binder in oil paints.
Flax straw is used to make linen and when the straw is being combed and separated, it has the look of long, soft blond hair. Thus, is the phrase “flaxen haired.” (See a funky Youtube video on the process here.)
Flax straw is also used to make cigarette paper - including the kind used to roll and smoke the very “weed” our freedom loving governor rejected.
Finally, flax straw is an important component in US currency, which is 75% cotton and 25% flax.
So thank the humble flax flowers pictured today for drawing our attention to the important plant it graces. And, no, I don’t think these flowers, as out of place as they seem, are weeds. In fact, if they grew in my back yard, I might try to mow around them. Now was that strange plant I saw growing along the banks of the little creek in our back yard “weed”? Or was it hemp? (But don’t get our governor started on that one!)
Canon R5 1/200 sec f/3.2 200 ISO