Shepherd's Purse / Mother's Heart
I was so excited when I saw this little plant had hearts on it! When I looked it up I found out that it's called shepherd's purse (capsella bursa-pastoris). It has other names as well, and one I like is "mother's heart." The little hearts on it are seed pods.
I took these pictures on a walk with my family at Fort Steilacoom Park in Lakewood, WA, last week, up by the Hill Ward Memorial.
I'm editing this post to add the painting below because it shows so nicely the parts of the plant and the stages it goes through. I found it on Wikipedia. The painting below is in the public domain because it was made so long ago that the copyright has expired. According to Wikipedia, the painting is a "figure from Deutschlands Flora in Abbildungenwas" and was painted in 1796 by Johann Georg Sturm. Isn't it pretty? It almost makes me want to try drawing a flower. . . actually I'm hoping my children and I can try that out this summer!
I took these pictures on a walk with my family at Fort Steilacoom Park in Lakewood, WA, last week, up by the Hill Ward Memorial.
I'm editing this post to add the painting below because it shows so nicely the parts of the plant and the stages it goes through. I found it on Wikipedia. The painting below is in the public domain because it was made so long ago that the copyright has expired. According to Wikipedia, the painting is a "figure from Deutschlands Flora in Abbildungenwas" and was painted in 1796 by Johann Georg Sturm. Isn't it pretty? It almost makes me want to try drawing a flower. . . actually I'm hoping my children and I can try that out this summer!
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| rosette (a), pointed leaves, flowers (c–e), pods (i, k) (please note: above picture is from Wikipedia -- the painting above is dated at 1796 and is in the public domain) |
~♥~ To see more hearts, visit Guest Heart Thursday. ~♥~
These are so sweet tiny hearts. I think we have them in Macedonia too.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos.
I remember being so excited when I found shepherd's purse growing here about 5 years ago. Unfortunately, they never came back!!!
ReplyDeleteI love your pictures that highlight the heart shaped seed pods - they're beautiful!
When my kids were young I made them 'nature journals', which they now treasure. They are filled with drawings and observation notes of the nature walks we have been on, and the wonderful things we found.
Thank you both! ♥
ReplyDeleteClytie ~ the nature journals sound wonderful! I would definitely like to do that this year with my kiddos! :)