When Roadside Wildflowers Beckon

Driving between Papakura and Piopio lately I've noticed an abundance of white flowers on the roadside that look suspiciously like Queen Anne's Lace, or at least a reasonable facsimile.

 
We used to pick them as children and put them in vases, either fresh or dried. (I was one of those kids who would go out and pick bouquets, only to develop severe cases of poison ivy, hay fever, rashes, etc. later on.)

So this past weekend on my return trip with Clifford I took along a bucket and scissors in the car. Clifford was a bit confused by our pitstop, but I wanted to test something out:

 
 
We used to color these as kids using food coloring.....

Only one of three bunches absorbed any color in my little experiment. I've learned that it's important to cut the stems short and use lots of food coloring. 

 

I'll try this again sometime when roadside wildflowers beckon.  And fortunately no poison ivy, hay fever or rashes have descended upon me just yet.