Day 97: Mystery Solved

I found a strange looking plant growing along the edge of the driveway last week.

I had no idea what this plant was, but I should have, because I’ve seen its type before. I just didn’t recognize it until today, when it bloomed. That’s the funny thing about wildflowers, though. The flowers so often get all the attention, and the rest of the plant tends to get overlooked.

The Deptford pink is a nonnative plant. According to this NYT article, the pink’s name doesn’t come from the color of the blossom (pinks come in different colors, including a red type known as a “fire pink“). Instead, the name is a reference to its serrated petals, which look as if they had been “pinked” with pinking shears. Whether or not you’ve seen a Deptford pink before, you’ve probably met its cousins sweet william and carnation.

I’m glad to have solved another botanical mystery. I expect there will be many more of them this year. I hope so, anyway, because they will help keep my mind busy over the course of what looks to be a long summer ahead.