Name the Flower Game is Almost Over
All good things must come to an end, they say, and I suppose that goes for fun with wildflowers in a Name the Flower game too. This is the last wildflower for you to guess or to name to get an entry in the drawing for a couple of books. The winner’s choice of one of my books and a grab bag book.
Here are some of the choices. All great reads. I’ll pick three winners on Sunday. So get your guesses in on the new flower or go back and name any of the other flowers from past posts if you haven’t already done so. Each guess on a different flower gets you another entry to maybe win your choice of some of these books.
A New Flower to Name
But back to flowers. The one up top is the one to name. I remember when I first found these down by the creek. I thought maybe there was something wrong with them since to my eye they looked a little wilted. But when I came home that day and searched through my flower book, I found a picture of the flower that looked exactly like the ones I’d seen. So do you recognize the new flower? If you don’t, what would you call it if you got the privilege of naming the plant?
Now What in the World was Last Week’s Flower?
I picked some different flowers for you all to see and name in the last few weeks. Nobody who left a comment came up with the actual name of this little flower. A few of you gave it a tri-something name because of its cute little three petal like things. That sounds really scientific, doesn’t it?
It’s Wild Ginger. My son asked me if it was really what ginger
came from and no, it’s not. However, Native Americans and early settlers did harvest the root, dry it and grind it into a powder to use as a spice. Some settlers also cooked the root in sugar water for several days to get a ginger-flavored candied root and then used the leftover liquid as a syrup. But since then, scientists have found the plants may contain poisonous compounds, so they strongly advise against eating the root now. It was also used as a poultice on woods and has since been found to contain some antibiotic compounds.
The flower has an unusual story of how it attracts small flies that come out of the ground in the early spring looking for carcasses of animals that didn’t survive the winter. The flower is close to the ground where it is easy for the flies to find and the color of the flower is similar to decomposing flesh. It’s unsure whether the flies pollinate the flowers, but the insects do crawl into the flowers to escape the chilly spring weather. That may be more that you wanted to know about Wild Ginger, but in case it’s not, you can read even more about this interesting wildflower at a USDA Forest Service site
here. That’s where I found the information about the flower.
So Now It’s Time to Name the New Flower
Your turn now to leave a comment about the new flower or about the old flower. All comments are welcome and if you also leave a way to be contacted (if you haven’t previously left that information with a guess on an earlier Name the Flower post) then you’ll get an entry in the giveaway.
As always, thanks for reading and I hope you’ve enjoyed the Name the Flower game.
Comments 27
I think the name is weeping bells. I enjoy guessing and the opportunity to win. Sharma Darby
Author
Good name, Sharma. Thanks for stopping by and playing my name the flower game.
Cornhuskers ghost! You know I ain't got a clue:-) I can't remember if I made a guess on that last flower but it would of been something dorky like this one! Enjoy playing thanks for the fun and information on plants I've never laid eyes on til you posted them!
Cornhuskers ghost! You know I ain't got a clue:-) I can't remember if I made a guess on that last flower but it would of been something dorky like this one! Enjoy playing thanks for the fun and information on plants I've never laid eyes on til you posted them!
Author
Cornhuskers ghost is a fun name. You can team up with Melanie on the names this time with her Tom Dooley one. 🙂 Glad you've had fun playing my Name the Flower game, Kate. Come back Sunday for the actual name and to see who wins the books.
Some kind of snow drops perhaps. The leaves are unusual.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Author
Several of you have mentioned snow drops. I'm going to have to look that flower up, Mary. Thanks so much for playing my Name the Flower game. Always fun to see your comments.
Lilly of the Valley sm wileygreen1(at)yahoo(dot)com
Author
It does look like a lily of the valley, doesn't it, Sharon? Come back Sunday to see what the flower books say and to find out who the winners are.
Snow Bells
Author
I am definitely going to have to look up Snow Bells to see what they look like. Thanks for guessing. If you want your name in the drawing you'll have to leave a way to contact you.
I want to guess Angel Trumpet's….probably not. I am usually good at flowers but wildflowers in Kentucky, not so much! Thanks for the opportunity to guess and win! Linda
Author
But we were just playing a game about the names, Linda. So angel trumpets might fit although these are a lot smaller than the angel trumpets I've grown. I have to say that Melanie's made up name for these was great "Hang down your head, Tom Dooley." So glad you dropped by and took part in the fun with us.
Hi Ann- You know I haven't been even close on any of these you are so good and none of these have i seen in Ca or Ia so this one I am going to call white drops.. Have a good day..
Author
But sometimes the fun is in playing the game, Peggy. At least I hope you had fun on your flower marathon today. You at least got to see some new flowers and find out about some of them. Wildflowers are peculiar about where they grow. Even here in KY some of them grow in the east of the state and some in the west. And then they only grew in rich woody ground or out in open pastures. But they are lovely.
bellwort
Author
You just may know your flowers, Mary. 🙂
Hi Ann,
I am going to say snow Trumpets/ snow drops
These flowers are so cute
I have really enjoyed playing your guess the flower game.
oh.hello.hiya@gmail.com
Author
You're the second person to say snow drops or trumpets, Danie. Interesting. So glad you played along with my Name the Flower game. I've got lots more flowers so maybe we'll do it again next spring or in the middle of the winter to cheer us toward spring. I appreciate you posting the blog posts on pinterest too.
Trumpets
Author
Trumpets is a good descriptive name, Loretta.
Looks like a flower called snowdrop!Shelia Hall sheliarha64(at)yahoo(dot)com
Author
Great input, Shelia, but wouldn't a snowdrop be white? Oh, yellow snow. 🙂
I would call them ,Umbrella Flowers. Lisa Bragg …lisa_g_bragg@yahoo.com
Author
Umbrella flowers sounds good, Lisa. Thanks for playing my Name the Flower game.
Well,Miss Ann, since I have no clue, as usual, I would name these Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooleys. I love your contests! Thanks for bringing a smile!
mauback55 at gmail dot com
Author
That is a great name, Melanie. Maybe the best one yet. I don't know why that isn't the name in the flower book. LOL. Thanks for playing along with my Name the Flower contest. Next post will be winners time.