Henbit the weed

I hope to eventually identify everything on our land one day. Even the weeds. Actually, especially the "weeds". We Americans insist on lawns without blemish. Banish everything that doesn't look tidy. Phoey! Why enslave yourself to pushing a damn lawnmower every spare day off? Birds love all the many varieties of plants and seeds on our lawn. We've spent hours watching bluebirds dive down and feast. And so, with camera and identification books in hand, I happened upon these unique plants at bloom in the front yard.

Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) is a cool season, annual broadleaf plant. They begin to grow in early fall and grow through the winter and spring. It's a member of the mint family, as you can see in its square stems. As such, it can be used to help repel mosquitoes. The young leaves can be thrown into salads, and the tiny flowers are pleasantly sweet. You can also throw in some leaves sauteed with spring onions, they match quite well.

As a side note, I caught 7 deer feeding behind the house at 10:30am, while taking out the compost bucket. Wildlife's been coming to our doorstep lately!