I don’t have this in my yard yet, but I should since purple needlegrass is our state grass
I went to read up on it and learned (as I often do) even more fascinating things about the survival instincts of our native plants. It’s called needlegrass because the seeds are shaped like a torpedo and each seed has a long, thread-like awn attached making it look a lot like a needle and thread.
No brainstorming to speak of on this one. (I keep reminding myself that these are workshop haiku and I can revise to my heart’s content after April is over.)
Purple Needlegrass
roots twenty feet deep
live two hundred years or more
waiting out the drought
@copyright Susan Taylor Brown
April 8, 2009
I love the sense of the drought being more than just THIS one, this year’s–that we’ve been in this place before and the plant gets it and will keep going. NICE!
Thanks. I was surprised (as I often am) when I was researching this grass to discover how long it lives. Now to find a place for it in my already full yard.
You created beautiful images in my mind. Thank you.
Thanks for reading along.