Take Stock: It's the First Day of Spring

Take stock of your flowers and pollinators; today is the first day of spring.

If Virginia stock, Malcolmia maritima, is blooming in your garden now, you'll likely be seeing honey bees,  syrphid flies and other pollinators.

M. maritima, native to Greece and Albania, is a member of the family Brassicaceae, which includes mustards, broccoli, cabbages and cauliflower. It's self-sown. In its native habitat, it grows well in maritime sandy habitats, thus the "maritima" in its name.

The four-petaled flowers, quite fragrant, can range in color from lavender, white and pink to violet and purple. 

In our garden in Vacaville, Virginia stock blooms profusely from spring to late fall, and can thrive in the winter. 

Cheers to the first day of spring!