I never saw a Purple Cow
I never hope to see one,
But I can tell you, anyhow,
I’d rather see than be one!
Gelett Burgess
The cow that ate the tall larkspur didn’t turn purple but it might have gotten sick. The plant has a bad rep among ranchers. It can make animals extremely ill. Worst case: it kills them. Not a good thing.
How toxic depends on the season and location and how much the bovine belts back — apparently, to a cow, it’s quite tasty.
I found the few plants the same day as the spotted coralroot orchids and decided to record the flower growth over the coming weeks. That cow beat me to them. On my third visit the flower stalks were gone. Chewed to a nub.
Guess I need to be faster on my hooves.
Did You Know?
Tall larkspur belongs to the buttercup family. Among its relatives (many of whom you also don’t want to eat) are clematis, columbine, monkshood, anemones and white watercrowfoot.
Tall larkspur Delphinium glaucum
The Lens and I 
Naughty cow, but I hope it don’t get sick. Nice photos Sally!
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Our neighbour’s cow not ours. Based on what I read I doubt that it caused much of a problem (other than for the photographer). 🙂
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The deer have been very busy at our house and about 70% of the flowers have disappeared. Thanks again for sharing interesting information and I enjoyed your photos and the closing line about being faster on your hooves.
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Those cows can move when they got a mind to! Thanks for your words — good to know they land somewhere in cyberspace. Sorry about your flowers. We’re more fortunate … the deer raise their young nearby and later graze on dandelions and grass in the yard but pass by the flower beds without a second glance.
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You get extra credit for knowing that the purple cow ditty belongs to Burgess, and not Ogden Nash!
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Points are always good! 🙂
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