Swamp Onion: The 49th Flower of Spring!

[best appreciated at full size against black]

Our property features a few seasonal wet areas: a pond, a busy, well-defined stream which empties into the pond, and a run-off area where the rain percolates from our hillside, through our big meadow, down our granite valley and empties in a nearly flat depression through our lower forest down to the main road. The slabs of rock are covered with a thin covering of dirt and moss, and there many wet-environment flowers flourish until the area dries out in mid May. Right now the area is covered with flowers from the top of our hill all the way down to the road, including millions of these beauties, our little wild onions! (I'll be posting blossom pictures in the next couple of weeks!)

Swamp Onions are common in California and the Pacific Northwest, and can be fournd in sunny, wet meadows with well-drained soil...which is exactly where they are found on our property! The bulbs can be eaten, but tend to be fibrous; the flowers are sometimes used as salad garnishes. Swamp onions, like some other plants in the Allium genus (which includes garlic) can be planted in gardens to deter moths and other insects.

If you would like to know more about Swamp Onions, Wiki has a page here: Swamp Onion (Allium validum)

This image was taken in April, 2012.