Orange Hawkweed / Hieracium aurantiacum

Supposedly a weed, I've only ever seen Orange Hawkweed growing in the wild twice, I believe. This photo was taken at the Reader Rock Garden on 30 June 2010. I love their colour and the toothed tips of each petal. Provincial Designation: Prohibited Noxious.

"Native to Eurasia, Orange hawkweed was likely introduced as an ornamental plant because of its showy, fiery orange flowers .... The ancient Greeks believed hawks’ feeding on the sap of hawkweed is what gave them their keen eyesight. Other common names are devil’s paintbrush and red devil."

www.invasiveplants.ab.ca/Downloads/FS-OrangeHawkweed.pdf

After some really beautiful, somewhat milder weather, winter has returned yet again this morning. Snowing and settling, unfortunately. I had been planning on making a brave, second trip east of the city in the next few days, but the thought of snowy backroads makes me really nervous after getting my car stuck in snow and needing help to dig it out the other week.