On Thursday morning, as I was leaving my regular coffee shop, I saw a sight that brought back memories of an essay I posted here a few years ago. It was a "Crack in the Sidewalk" from which was sprouting a tiny Pineappleweed. In that essay, which I plan to bring up to date this week, I mused about why we find the cracks in sidewalks so fascinating when we are children and develop certain rituals around them that probably never entirely leave our consciousness. That does happen to you, doesn't it? Didn't you try to avoid "breaking your mother's back?" I still do, even though my mom has passed away.
Here's a closer view of the "weed," probably around 3" across. This little non-native is often confused with Chamomile, also a non-native. Both are members of the Family Compositae, or Asteraceae. Each yellow blossom is actually a cluster of disk flowers, like you find as the central portion of daisies and other members of the family. No "petals" or, more precisely, ray flowers. If you squeeze the flower head, it smells like pineapple, and I suppose when intact they look a bit like miniature pineapples. I'm not sure which is the origin of the common name.
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