18. White Mignonette

In Maltese we call it Denb il-Haruf (= lamb's tail) and it's easy to see why. The flowers of the White Mignonette grow in long, tapering bunches of off-white florets, and the petals and stamens soften the edges so that the spike looks positively fluffy! White Mignonettes attract many insects like bees, bugs, beetles and butterflies. It is a common plant that at this time of the year graces the sides of our country roads with its prodigious masses of flowers. But unfortunately the White Mignonette is considered a weed and therefore is condemned to fall victim every year to bands of men armed with herbicides and grasscutters. It is sad that in this country, so many people consider the obliteration of wildflowers as "cleaning" and "embellishment"!

Text by Victor Falzon, photo by Desirée Falzon. Copyright to Birdlife Malta.