One man's weed

I spent yesterday trolling for wood ticks. Okay, I wasn't deliberately trolling for them, but I might as well have been. I was crawling around in the grass trying to take pictures of violets. At this time of the year we're blessed with a plethora of violets. Little tiny white violets, several different sizes of purple violets, and yellow violets. I wasn't particularly successful -- the camera kept wanting to focus on blades of grass instead of the flowers -- but it wasn't a bad way to spend a sunny afternoon.

The yellow violets are in the old orchard. The purple violets (the violet violets?) are scattered around the property, and I tend to see the tiny white ones close to the house.

When it comes to wildflowers, the violets are among my favorites. They bloom in the spring, they're a sure sign that winter is over, and in general they're a pretty inoffensive flower. I have a hunch the S.O. may like violets, too. As long as they're blooming, he knows he's not allowed to mow. 

Which brings me to my question of the day: Why on earth are violets included on the list of noxious weeds that Round-up will kill? What type of sick fuck soulless jerk would consider violets a problem?

Probably the same type of person who would consider the dandelions a problem. Personally, I like dandelions. They're cheerful, they're another sign Winter is definitely over, the young leaves make good salad greens, and I've heard the flowers can be made into an interesting wine. I've never tried it, but one of these years I may take a shot at it. 

As for the trolling for ticks, I wasn't particularly successful. I did find a dog tick on my foot yesterday, but it was many hours after crawling through the violets so doubt that's where I picked it up.