Went to Viðey island today which sits in the Kollafjörður Bay just to the north of downtown Reykjavík. By now you know I like basalt, and that I used to be an archaeobotanist (or at least trained in it and worked it into one of my field jobs before I left archaeology for IT). Well, over the years this has led to a general love of plants and a specific love of umbellifers.
Umbellifers I am sure you all know and love, you know the plant family the botanists decided (against my wishes) to rename Apiaceae, the carrot, parsley and celery family? Well, whether it is their helpfulness in the kitchen, or general showy, snowy delicate umbrella like flower heads that drew me in, I am long hooked. Viðey has 2 umbels of note: angelica and caraway and as I wandered about the island taking in Richard Serra’s work which is a sculptural ode to basalt, I revelled in a delightful ABC: Angelica, Basalt and Caraway.
Umbellifers you should know and love: Angelica, Anise, Caraway, Carrots, Celery, Coriander, Cumin, Dill, Fennel, Lovage, Parsley, Parnip, Sweet cicely
Umbellifers you should know and steer well clear of: Hemlock, Giant Hogweed
Some pics of me revelling on Viðey, enjoying the movement of the grasses, umbellifers etc in the wind…
where the raven landed 