Dog Flannel Days

A familiar smell as I walked though the pasture brought back memories of the long summer days of my youth. I fondly remember those Dog Flannel days. Actually, the weed that produces that smell is not really named Dog Flannel, it is Dog Fennel. But I had never known it by that name until I was well into my adult years.

Dog Fennel as noted in Meriam-Webster describes the plant,

an ill-scented Eurasian chamomile (Anthemis cotula) naturalized as a weed in the United States

This plant is a distant cousin to the tea that so many people love. But this cousin does not taste like the chamomile found in any stores. I tried drying and steeping the weed one time, it put me off real chamomile for several years. But enough said about that.

This time of year the plants are just a few inches tall, and the scent is already prevalent throughout the farm. The blossoms are just beginning to crown the top of each stock with a light cone-shaped cap and will soon have the ring of white blossoms around as the cone turns from a spring green to a summer yellow.

The plant will multiply throughout the hot summer days and will take over the barn yard. It will creep into the edges of the driveway and pop up in the lawn.

In the evenings, when sitting outside enjoying the late setting sun, the smell will again take me back to those long ago Dog Flannel Days.