Remember heroes with poppies
A week or two before November 11, most Canadians wear a red poppy to symbolize the remembrance of all those who have fallen, not only in the First World War, but also in the many subsequent wars in which Canadian soldiers have died.
As Canadians, we should know that Lt. Col. John McCrae, a native of Guelph, Ont., and a medical officer during the First World War, scribbled a 13-line poem called In Flanders Fields, on a scrap of paper shortly after the death of a fellow soldier in May 1915. Little did he know that his poem would be the most recited at times of remembrance across the world.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
•••
We are the dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
•••
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you, from failing hands, we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die, We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
The irony of this beautiful red flower growing in a battlefield is quite touching. This particular poppy belongs to the large family of poppies known as papaver, and this specific species, Papaver rhoeas, is native in a wide range of temperate and tropical areas from North Africa to Asia and Europe. In fact, it grows in over 50 countries, has all the characteristics of a successful weed, and can be indicative of low fertility in the soil.
This hardy annual has long been associated with agricultural crops, and has a life cycle that allows it to flower and seed before the crop is harvested, thus creating a long-lived seed source in the ground.
Its natural habitat is in fields and grasslands and along roadsides.
It is a perennial in the warmth of zones 8 to 10, but acts as an annual in colder zones.
In Europe, for example, its seeds will germinate in mid to late spring, depending upon the weather conditions, and flower through summer into fall with scarlet single blooms growing about 60 centimetres in height. The flowers last for only one day, but because there are so many seeds in each pod, the sequence of flowering is long and creates quite an impressive display.
Papaver rhoeas has great value as a pollen producer for bees but has little nectar. It produces more pollen than any other meadow flower. Its foliage and sap have an acrid taste and can be slightly poisonous to domestic animals, but on the plus side, these traits make it somewhat deer resistant.
Before the First World War there were few, if any, flowers growing in the Flanders area of France. When the war began, the tremendous number of shells being exploded caused the chalky soils to become quite limy. Because of the resulting change in the Ph level and the disturbance of the soil, any poppy seeds long buried began to germinate.
The poppies thrived on the limy soils and began to grow and spread. These conditions gave rise to the massive numbers of red poppies that sprung up everywhere, even on the graves of fallen soldiers. It was this phenomenon that inspired McCrea’s poem.
After the war ended, over time the soil reverted to its former Ph level, and the poppies began to disappear.
If you would like to grow this poppy, the B.C. Veterans Commemorative Association is selling the Flanders poppy to individuals and to cities and municipalities.
A one-kilogram quantity contains about 6.5 million seeds, and a tablespoon pack (14.3 grams) contains approximately 200,000 seeds.
Planting larger areas with these attractive and historic poppies creates a truly spectacular display.
Go to bcveterans.org for details.
As we wear our poppy this year in remembrance of so many brave soldiers who gave their lives for our country, take a moment to reflect on the flower that flourished in the middle of the destructive forces of war and inspired McCrae’s remarkable poem.