Field Poppy

by Rob Hemphill

Title

Field Poppy

Artist

Rob Hemphill

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

This single poppy was growing all alone at the edge of an agricultural field in Ireland. It instantly reminded me of its war symbol connections.

All species of poppies are attractive and most are cultivated as ornamental plants, some are used as sources of drugs and foods. Many poppies also grow as a weed in farmer's fields.

Papaver rhoeas (common names include common poppy, corn poppy, corn rose, field poppy, Flanders poppy, or red poppy) is an annual herbaceous species of flowering plant in the poppy family, Papaveraceae.

This poppy is notable as an agricultural weed (hence the common names including "corn" and "field") and after World War I as a symbol of dead soldiers. Due to the extent of ground disturbance in warfare during World War I, corn poppies bloomed between the trench lines and no man's lands on the Western front.

Its origin is not known for certain. As with many such plants, the area of origin is often ascribed by Americans to Europe, and by northern Europeans to southern Europe. It is known to have been associated with agriculture in the Old World since early times and has had an old symbolism and association with agricultural fertility. It has most of the characteristics of a successful weed of agriculture. These include an annual lifecycle that fits into that of most cereals, a tolerance of simple weed control methods, the ability to flower and seed itself before the crop is harvested, and the ability to form a long-lived seed bank. The leaves and latex have an acrid taste and are mildly poisonous to grazing animals.

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Featured in the following FAA Groups:

“ABC Group” 06/06/2022
"Macro Marvels" 02/26/2020
"Flower On Green" 12/26/2019
"Art for Close ups and Macro" 12/19/2019
"Global Flowers Photography" 12/09/2019

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Uploaded

August 24th, 2011

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