on learning the names of things

i know this is crown vetch. i know it is not cow vetch because it is shaped like a little crown. i know it is invasive. i know it is not native. i know i shouldn’t love it, but i do. and i love it because i know its name. i love it because it covers hillsides in early summer, and when i walk by them, by the mere fact of my knowing the name crown vetch, i walk among friends.

common crownvetch

saint paul, minnesota