Herbarium: Cobra Lily

You’d think nothing could unseat nasturtium, then one upstart beats another out of house and home and here we are: knee-deep in blades; waist-high in arched, flat-hooded flower sprays. Still awash in orange. Gone, the saucer-fat leaves, the petalled embellishments for bread and cheese. But early sweetness earns its keep: fierce hummingbirds descend for these keen mouths. Before spring springs. Disarming us until the longer light sets in.