love-in-a-mist, Nigella damascena

If yesterday's columbine is the queen of the buttercup family, is this the court jester. Maybe a little psychotic? Here we're back to radial symmetry. Symmetry? Seems more like the paint-thrown-against-the-wall style of creativity. The Jackson Pollock of the family. Actually, a plant covered with a whole bunch of these frilly flowers does have a pleasing effect. That's gotten them into our gardens, and from there to our wilds in CA, CT, ID, IL, KS, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV, BC, ON, and QC. Beal Gardens, MSU, 5/28/12.