Miner's Lettuce: The 24th Flower of Spring!

[best appreciated at full size against black]

I've been keeping my eyes open for this darling little flower because I missed it last year and that made me a very sad panda. (I did take a nice picture of it when on a hike, but boo hoo, it's not the same thing!!) I love this flower for several reasons. One--it's very tiny! The flower is only about 1/4" in diameter! Two--the blossom stems grow from these fleshy leaves that look very much like lily pads in the air! Three--Miner's Lettuce is edible, and in fact, is sometimes served in fancy restaurants as part of their specialty salad menus! Isn't that cool?! :D I've tried it but honeestly, it tastes a lot like lawn trimmings to me! :D

Miner's Lettuce is a fleshy annual plant native to the western mountain and coastal regions of North America from southernmost Alaska and central British Columbia south to Central America, but most common in California in the Sacramento and northern San Joaquin valleys. It grows in cool, damp areas on our property in Southern Oregon in the early spring to about May or whenever it begins to get dry and warm. It gets its name because it was eaten by miners during the Goldrush era to prevent scurvy and provide vitamin C. It has a delicate flavor and can be mixed into salad greens. It is sometimes boiled, and then has the flavor and consistency of spinach. This plant was introduced in western Europe in 1749 and has been widely naturalized there.

If you would like more information about this wonderful plant, Wiki has a great source here: Wiki: Miner's Lettuce, Claytonia perfoliata

I've uploaded two other pictures today and I hope you'll visit them too!

Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :)

NOTE! I have finally updated my profile and I hope you'll take a look to find out a little more about me and how important all of you are to my experience here on Flickr!
www.flickr.com/people/sfhipchick/

This image was taken in April, 2012.