PHOEBE'S PHLOWER

Queen Anne's Lace needs a new name!
A weed is but an unloved flower -Ella Wheeler Wilcox

For more than half my life, which is a significant amount of time, (I constantly feel compelled to throw this type of stuff in) I always thought this lacy, delicate wildflower was called Grandmother's Lace. More than likely it was planted in my subconscious because my grandmother, Phoebe, introduced it to me when I was young girl.

Grandma Phoebe was a lover of nature, she loved all things wild, and could name every bird species and wildflower in sight. Clearly I transferred that passion into renaming Queen Anne's lace (Daucus Carota, is its scientific name) Grandmother's Lace.

Everything about this flower brings back memories of grandma. It's bloom resembles the hand-embroidered edges to hankies or doilies that she and other family members would spend hours making. The pure volume of Queen Anne's along a ditch reminds me of our family in a way as well. It was a large one, 30 plus, wild, untamed grandchildren. And just like those unkept wildflowers, Grandma Phoebe found the beauty in each one of us. She could make you feel like you were the only child in the room, even when the noise and chaos would suggest otherwise. There even is a great deal of symbolism in this wildflower to the economics of our life back then. We didn't have a lot of money or a lot of possessions, but who needed overpriced roses, when nature had given us a beautiful bouquet of wildflowers free for all of us to enjoy.

As I grow older, her appreciation for these simple things of life seems to take on more meaning. What seemed so boring to me as a pre-teen, now seems like opportunity wasted to better understand the real beauty of life. Grandma Phoebe had it down cold. Beauty in the everyday and love for it, is the real wealth. Grandma mastered that, because as I look back on my childhood and my time with her, I don't remember ever feeling like I went without or that I missed out on anything. Every memory of her is priceless.

So now, I'd like to know who or where to petition for a name change. It seems ironic to me that this wildflower, aka weed, would be named after a queen. These days I know it wouldn't be found in a palace. I know the story behind the name, but, heck, times change, and we live in a world where history is constantly being corrected. This wildflower existed before the time of Queen Anne, her grandmother and her grandmother's grandmother.

Of course, I am willing to compromise on the new name. It doesn't have to be named "Phoebe's Phlower". (I just like to type it this way). I would settle for "Grandmother's Lace" Kind of a tribute for all grandmothers who have taken their grandchildren on nature walks, and gladly gathered bouquets of wildflowers along the way. To me it just seems right it be named for those who understand its true meaning. Queen Anne can still have her furniture, just give us back the flower.

I'm sure I'm not alone in this idea. I'm sure it isn't even an original idea. Being introduced to wildflowers by a grandparent is universal. It is their unofficial job. They've learned to slow down and breathe, to appreciate that beauty isn't in a bottle or on a label. It surrounds us each day in nature if we just take the time to look. When I retire, and am blessed with grandchildren, I plan on taking it up as a second career as well.

Until then, I intend to look into this name change thing.