I rode out to
Witty's Lagoon yesterday and was happy to discover a small patch of these lovely little flowers beside the trail that leads from the parking lot down to the lagoon and beach. Their common name is
Crown Brodiaea (Brodiaea coronaria) but they are also known as Fool's Onion since they grow from an onion-like corm that is reputed to be both nutritious and tasty and was prized by Native Peoples and early settlers to this area. Witty's Lagoon is named after one of those early settlers. The same man donated the land for the building of the
Church of St. Mary the Virgin that was featured here a few weeks ago. Both the church and the lagoon (a Capital Regional District Park) are located in Metchosin, one of the Western Communities.
