I am sorry!

I found myself nearly apologizing to a plant today. I am sorry that I ripped your ancestors from the ground!  I am sorry that people call you a weed!  I am sorry you have such an ugly name!  I assume this is the proper name for the little plant but for some reason it just does not fit!  Common Vetch seems like a far too ugly of a name for something that makes such a pretty little flower.  I was out hiking about the hillside when I came across what used to be the huge mulch piles.  These mounds have more or less rotted down to being just good fertile soil now and are overgrown with all sorts of neat little plants.  One particular plant caught my eye merely because it had one of the prettiest little blooms!  The vine-like plant was only about ten inches in length but already had a lovely purple flower!  Then it hit me!  This is what Pop used to call Vetch.  I remember back in the day thinking the flower was pretty and when I was instructed to pull the plant from the corn rows, I secretly would try to transplant them to the fence lines.  Not that my trying to save the plant did much good as we would clear those fence lines soon after weeding the corn!  Well, I tried!  (Remember that, Little Vetch..I tried to save your ancestors!)  Today's Common Vetch was in no danger of being eliminated from its growing spot.  It can grow to great lengths and become a thing of beauty in amongst the dewberries and honeysuckle.

I am not sure why Pop was so adamant about yanking those poor plants from his corn rows but he was.  From all I read about Common Vetch or Spring vetch, there are two distinct thoughts about the use of the plant as fodder.  On the one hand, some sources say that Vetch is great to have in the pasture.  The "Pro-Vetch" (my word) folks seem to think that livestock that graze on the plant gain weight much faster than those that eat other grasses. Most of the articles even claim that the plant is quite delicious and should be eaten regularly by all of us!  On the other hand, the Anti-Vetch (yep, again, mine) people claim that the seeds contain cyanide compounds and could be highly dangerous to humans and livestock alike.  So...do we eat our Vetch or do we yank it from the garden as a possible danger?  Personally, I have no desire to start munching the tiny plant but I sure like the bit of beauty that it provides in an otherwise dreary spot of the yard!  Grow Little Vetch!  I promise that I won't pull you out by your roots and toss you aside like trash!  Grow!  Put forth your pretty, purple flowers!