sweet vernal grass, Anthoxanthum odoratum

Pictures may be worth thousands, but with an image like this maybe we need the words. As much as I like to sing the praises of grass flowers, this time just wasn't the right time. A little sooner and we could have enjoyed to anthers, yellow and hanging out in the wind. And the pistils might not have been such a scraggle. And one of the best virtues of this vernal grass is its sweetness. That aroma that Wiki describes as fresh mown hay with a hint of vanilla just can't be captured here. The sweetness is such that this grass is sometimes grown as a houseplant. There's a plan! Sweet vernal grass is a European native, grown here in pastures and escaped to AK, AL, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MO, NC, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, BC, NB, NF, NS, ON, PE, QC, GL, and SPM. Ingham Co MI, 5/28/12. Grass family, Poaceae.