Simple Delights

When we were young we used to delight in chancing upon such flowers which, when pressed lightly on the sides, open up like a small mouth.  We used to create entire (often foolish) conversations using these flowers as small puppets.  Do children still do that?  Do they even notice these flowers?

I'm sure that, if they were sentient, these plants would be happy at this relative decline in interest because it means that less of its flowers end up getting picked.  Still there has to be an element of sadness at the slow passing of this simple childhood delight.

Perhaps it is because of this that it seems that these flower – referred to local as papocci bojod (white slippers) – are more easily found.  They certainly grow easily enough, often on rocky sites and upon walls where they face little competition for resources.  Apart from their propensity to provide children with some fun, the flowers themselves are quite nice to look at thanks to the striking pinkish purple colour.

Botanical Name: Antirrhinum Siculum Miller
Common name: Sicilian Snapdragon (English) Papocci Bajda (Maltese)
Family:  Scrophulariaceae (Snapdragon family)