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jeanb | all galleries >> PAD >> PAD 2004 >> May 2004 > May 13
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May 13

Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius)
Broom is indigenous to parts of Europe, the Mediterranean and Britain. The stories say that some misguided Scotsman, homesick for
his native land, brought seeds with him to plant in his new home. Some 150 years later, along highways, in gardens and
in every nook and cranny, it has rapidly become the dominant species crowding out native wildflowers like Lupines and Camas lilies,
and trees like the Garry Oak.
A pretty harbinger of summer no doubt, but a thorn in the side of gardeners and ecologists.

Olympus C-2100UZ
1/500s f/7.0 at 11.0mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
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photos12314-May-2004 21:51
Nice picture and story. We have the same problem in Washington state (USA). I have named it the unoffical state flower (this was my photo of the day a few weeks ago). The Tacoma paper had a front page story on this just a few days ago - They say if you cut it down in full bloom and again in August it will often die, or do it for a couple of years the seeds last for 40 to 80 years though.
Karen Stuebing14-May-2004 08:12
Lovely against the dark backdrop of trees. We have our own pretty but invasive pest species too.
Guest 14-May-2004 02:58
Yellow flowers are my favorite! Beautiful!
Guest 14-May-2004 00:44
Love the yellows!
DeMorcan13-May-2004 23:23
Pretty color. Its story is like so many of life outside its enviroment.