Nature

Weeds of the Open Road

My favorite weeds I see while biking

This is mullein just beginning to bloom — isn’t it gorgeous? It’s growing in a ditch adjacent to a soybean field. (Photo by Michelle Teheux)

I like to ride my bike out in the country, and my favorite stretch takes me between corn and soybean fields, or occasionally pumpkins.

But as a country girl, I love the weeds as well. Most of them shouldn’t be seen as weeds. Some of them are just as beautiful and useful as the things we grow on purpose — many of them more so, in fact. (But please don’t harvest and use any plant unless you have a local expert on hand.)

There’s nothing better than riding your bike down a country road in summer. (Photo by Michelle Teheux)

You get different perspectives when you’re biking as opposed to driving or walking. It’s my favorite way to experience the country. Sometimes I dismount to check out the plants, catch my breath and drink some water.

Mullein

Isn’t this plant absolutely beautiful?

Another mullein shot! This one is really towering over everything else. (Photo by Michelle Teheux)

Mullein is reputed to have medicinal qualities, but I’ve never used it. I just love to look at its tall, yellow-flower-covered spikes as I ride by.