July 05, 1984 - Roadside Attractions - News-ReviewPage 22
The Views ' Review'
Roadside Attractions
By PAULSTOUTENBURGH
Whenever we travel east or west, our
eyes are continually searching the road
for the wildflowers that are in bloom. It is
too bad the highway departments do such
a thorough job in some of our towns by
removing the roadside fringe for it is
here we look to see continual blossoms
throughout the season.
It is even worse on the expressway.
There, the manicured sterile median and
sides are almost void of everything but
grass. In some states down south they
have experimented with planting wild-
flowers instead of grass with rewarding
results. Less money is spent and less
machinery required which all adds up to
savings throughout the state plus the
continuous changing bloom along the
roadside. Perhaps we might take a few
lessons from these southern states in the
future.
Even though the jaws of the highway
department cutters remove most of our
roadside edge, there is usually a little left
that permits the observer's eye to pick
out the color of the day. Right now the
most colorful is the day lily that has
escaped from our gardens. In some
roadside stands it shows up as a long
swathe of orange bloom. What is nice
about this hardy plant is that it never
gives up and seems to be able to make it
no matter where it gets a foothold. The
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plant not only is a delight to the eye, but
in the early spring, when tender new
shoots are just coming out of the ground
and are still capsuled together, then can
be cut and eaten as we do with asparagus.
Even now where there's a plentiful stand,
buds can be picked and sauteed in butter
for another tasty treat.
Butter - and -Eggs Blossoming
Less showy but nevertheless worthy of
mention is the yellow butter - and -eggs —
a plant everyone should know. Its clust-
ers of miniature snapdragon -like flowers
are worthy of close examination for they
are delicately and beautifully shaped.
The tall yellow- spiked flower of the
mullein is also starting to flower. It can
be identified by its large greyish - green,
velvety leaves. Just recently I saw
someone using this stately plant to line
their driveway edge and I must say they
looked handsome. It all goes along with
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467-4600
July 5, 1984
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
DAY LILY - -Give it a chance and this plant will show you results far
better than almost any other. All it needs is a start and the open sun to
produce endless days of colorful orange blossoms.
what Emerson once said about wild -
flowers:most are weeds until their true
virtues are discovered.
Even the pesky dandelion that most
work so hard to remove from their lawns
has beauty if examined closely. And who
hasn't been fascinated by blowing the
seeds of the dandelion and -watching
them parachute in the breeze.
Another common yellow flower we see
blooming is the two-foot -tall St. John's -
Wort that has a cluster of nondescript
flowers at its head. This is an old herbal
plant I can remember my grandfather
collecting to make a rubbing ointment.
Usually the plant grows in clumps in
open fields and along road edges.
The common roadside daisy is one of
the nicest flowering plants we have. It
brings back memories of those days
when "she loves me, she loves me not"
filled the hearts of the young -at- heart.
The blue cornflower, or chicory, that
flowers only on sunny days has now
started to show itself on its long slender
stems. Left uncut, it will grow three to
four feet or even more and each day new
blue flowers will replace yesterday's
blooms. I'm told the root of this plant,
when dried and ground, can be used as a
substitute for coffee or in some cases is
used in a special blend of coffee.
She 7.1
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Of all the roadside flowers, Queen
Anne's lace or wild carrot holds a special
place in my memory book for it was this
wildflower our daughter chose along with
the day lily for the large baskets of
flowers at her wedding. The large
umbrella -like heads of the Queen Anne's
lace are made up of minute, lacy, white
flowers. These flowers last well when
picked and always add something special
to any bouquet. She was married in our
backyard overlooking the very pasture
where the flowers were picked. A more
perfect setting would be hard to find.
There are many more roadside plants
to discover if only we take the time to see
them. A whole array of clovers blossom
all summer long to the delight of my
honey bees along with the mustards,
yarrows, milkweed and a host of others
to keep the interested eye busy.
Let's hope that beauty along with
practicality will someday be written into
the contract of road builders so that as
colorful wildflowers take over our road
edges we become more appreciative of
the world around us.
Music in the Park
WADING RIVER -- Twilight Carousel
of Music performances have been
scheduled for eight dates in July and
August at Wildwood State Park, all at 8
p.m. On July 5,19 and Aug. 23, traditional
folk music will be performed by Stephen
Sanfilippo. On July 12 and Aug. 2, Mr.
G — "One Man Band — Mr. Sunshine" --
will perform. On July 25, Aug. 9 and 16,
Band on the Run will be featured.
All are invited to the free
performances in the camp's parking
field. The events are sponsored by the
Town of Riverhead in cooperation with
the Long Island State Park and
Recreation Commission.
And on Your Left...
Guided tours of the North Fork and the
Hamptons are being sponsored this
summer by the Long Island Rail Road
and the Montauk Bus Company on
weekends and Wednesdays.
The price of tours -- which includes a
train ride to Westhampton, a seat on a
bus and lunch at an East End restaurant
-- is $34 per person, children five to 11,
$31.
Tickets may be purchased from the
LIRR Tour Department, Jamaica,
Queens, and also are on sale at ticket
offices at Penn Station and Flatbush
Avenue.
Call the LIRR Tour Department at 212-
526 -7782 for information on tour
packages.