Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Calling all Street Plant Lovers

Knotweed, pigweed, birdweed, waygrass,
wireweed, doorweed, pinkweed, matgrass.
Polygonum aviculare is a plant of many names.

The bimonthly virtual gathering of Street Plant lovers has moved here to Urban Plants, Urban Rocks because Lucy of Loose and Leafy is packing her blog away in mothballs. I’m proud to be the new host, but I hope it’s temporary. To see why, check out Lucy’s insightful and entertaining street plant posts. Many of us would be happy to hear that she has pulled Loose and Leafy out of the mothballs, given it a good airing, and put it back online … perhaps in spring?

P. aviculare demonstrates its wireweed moniker.
This is one of the most widespread weeds pioneer plants in the world (source).
“It can be quite an adventure, looking for Urban Wild Plants. You can keep an eye out for them as you walk around town or choose a street at random and see what you can find - grass next to rubbish bins, daisies in the kerb, buddleia on the tops of buildings.”Lucy on Street Plant Blogging
Knotweed in full bloom, with white flowers less than 2 mm across.

So keep your eyes and mind open, and camera handy, and consider sharing (via linky box below) your encounters with a ...
Street Plant is not a blossom grown in a garden.
It’s a weed that’s been cast out.
A seed that grows even after its been stomped in the dirt.
A sprout pushing up from beneath the sidewalk,
pushing through the cracks and breaking them open.
No tending hands to feed it —
It’s a seed grown from pure light and nourished by the deepest roots.
It’s small, it’s got sharp thorns, it’s hard to kill.
But when it bears fruit those fruit will not be plucked for someone else’s harvest.
That fruit will drop to the ground as seeds.
Seeds to spread in darkened parking lots
as boomboxes play full volume and wheels bark at full speed.

—from The Never Ending Now courtesy Street Plant skateboards
Used with permission.


Street plants dance with their shadows.




to the Linky Box.







Paste your name and a link to your street plants post in the box below. If I’ve done everything correctly (fingers crossed!!), you will show up on the the list. Mister Linky asks that you add a comment—not necessary but it would be great to hear from you.

The box will disappear October 26. [Mister Linky is now on Mountain Daylight Time.]
cheers :-)