Papilio, herb, and springerle report

Both 'papilio' blooms are mostly open. They should be fully-deployed by tomorrow. I've been taking pictures every day and iwll post another tomorrow.

Around the base of the 'papilio' are several dozen seedlings. I had taken out my saved herb seed packets to see what I had, and I dropped them on the kitchen counter, creating a commingled spillage. Sigh. So I gathered them up and sprinkled them on the 'papilio' pot. A couple of them are parsley. Most of them aren't.

A week ago today I also sowed some test seeds of my two kinds of basil and some thyme. A few thyme are up today. No sign of the basil yet, but I think they will want the full ten days on my chilly windowsill.

I am down to my last four springerle from the last batch, except for the dozen or so I kept to take to my son in April. So I have butter softening in the oven (the pilot light keeps it in the 90s there) and eggs warming on the kitchen counter. All the other ingredients, except for the milk-hartshorn mixture, are measured and ready to go. Almond was interesting, but I'm ready to return to the classic anise seed and lemon rind flavoring.

My beautiful papilio, let me show you her

I've been sitting here taking pictures of my beautiful papilio as it opens today. This species never opens to a flat-faced flower but maintains a trumpet shape. One blossom is almost fully deployed, and the other is about half open. More photos from yesterday and today, showing the progress, after the jump, but here's one to cheer our wintry souls right this very minute.

Some clones of this species are self-fertile; others are self-sterile. They apparently all breed happily with the exotic 'cybister' hybrids, so I'm looking forward to being on the receiving end of some 'Evergreen' cybister pollen as soon as my friend from Indianapolis can drop it in the mail (that would be tomorrow). I'll self-fertilize one flower and put 'Evergreen' pollen on the other. I should get something!




( more photos )