Residents of the RCAs are walking to school through fields of blooming
chicory at this time of year. You can see the bright blue flowers in
all of the waste areas around the community gardens and there’s just a
bit of it near the fishladder. Chicory (Cichorium intybus) isn’t
a native but I haven’t listed it on our invasive weeds page because it
isn’t much of a problem. The plant is a slow-growing perennial that
doesn’t produce many seeds and it’s easy to pull up.
Chicory is native to Europe, but it was brought to the United
States by immigrants who grew it for food. The young leaves and shoots
can be used in salads and the roots (supposedly) can be dried and used
for a coffee substitute. (I haven’t tried it, myself…)
– posted by Niels
