Saturday, March 13, 2010

A Congregation of Henbit

Little bits of henbit #4 Odessa, Texas Little bits of henbit #3
Little bits of henbit #2 Little bits of henbit #1
"A Congregation of Henbit" 1,2,3,4 (Click any to see larger)
Parker Heights Christian Church
Odessa, Texas


I spent time with a little bit of henbit. Nice name, "henbit," don't you think? I can easily image chickens voraciously pecking at this early bloomer, greedy for some fresh greens. I feel the same way, although henbit is considered a tenacious weed by many who prefer monoculture lawns. Wonder if it grew to a foot or two instead of only a couple of inches, would that change public opinion?

Oh, here's another tidbit about henbit. It's part of the mint family. When something has square stems it indicates part of the mint family. And mint almost always means edible. Not always tasty, but edible. BUT when in doubt, don't put it in your mouth!


Links
  • According to Backyard Nature, you can make a salad from henbit. I would love to try it, but only with henbit grown where I could be sure there were no chemicals applied.
  • DiscoverLife.org has lots of other photos. Henbit's other names are "giraffe head" and "deadnettle." I still like "henbit" best.

5 comments:

Bobbie said...

I can honestly say I've never seen such gorgeous pictures of henbit :)

Unknown said...

That picture and story may have changed my whole attitude about this plant. Son of a gun.....

Oakland Daily Photo said...

Love your macro vision.

Irene said...

I think there are many pretty weeds in Texas.

Eeyore said...

Henbit it is. I shot it on the same day and didn't know anything about it until you enlightened me. I don't think I'll eat it though.
Larry