Nasturtium - childhood memories

Another photo from the archives, taken on 25 September 2012, at the Calgary Zoo. When I was a young child, under 12 years old, I used to love seeing these growing in the garden and used to collect the caterpillars that thrived on them and keep them in a matchbox. Funny how one remembers certain things from the past (a very distant past!).

"Tropaeolum, commonly known as nasturtium, is a genus of roughly 80 species of annual and perennial herbaceous flowering plants. It was named by Carl Linnaeus and is the only genus in the family Tropaeolaceae". Wikipedia.

"The first nasturtium species was introduced into Europe in the 18th century and was named Tropaeolum minus by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus. He chose the genus name because the plant reminded him of an ancient custom. After victory in battle, the Romans used to set up a trophy pole called a tropaeum (from the Greek tropaion, source of English "trophy"). On this the armour and weapons of the vanquished foe were hung. Linnaeus was reminded of this by the plant as the round leaves resembled shields and the flowers, blood-stained helmets". Wikipedia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropaeolum

After yesterday's snow (12 April 2014), it has pretty well all melted and the sun is shining this morning. The temperature is 0°C, expected to climb to 4°C this afternoon. Tomorrow is expected to get up to 12°C and be mainly sunny.