When it comes to preserving your aura of omniscience, I would've thought Wikipedia would be a parent's best friend, but no such luck.
I'm sure it's partly because I try to tell the kid when I don't know something, and partyl because she sees me typing all the time, but she's transferred her expectations of all-knowingness from me to my computer.
When she asked on the walk to school what the name of this flower is, I told her I didn't know, but I thought they might be Ladyslippers. She told me to ask my computer, and my computer would tell me they are, in fact, Ladyslippers.
Only, they're not. Anyone out there know what these bad boys are? And while I'm asking, does anyone have a better explanation for a toddler of the Internet than, "it's a series of tubes with flower experts and ballerina videos on the other end?"
bleeding hearts
[holy smokes, that's fast. and suitably graphic that I might have to stick with ladyslippers or risk freaking out the kid. thanks either way -ed.]
They are bleeding hearts. The internet is where all the information lives. And credit cards are virtual money.
Or you could go with the latin, dicentra, probably dicentra spectabilis. Shade-friendly perennial, which explains the hostas that are also in the picture, not to mention the patchy grass in the background.
[yep, they're under a very thick Japanese Maple, which I had no trouble identifying for her. -ed.]
Wow, that was fast, as I was confirming my hunch (bleeding heart), others were already beating me to it. Oh, and lady slippers are orchids.
Bleeding Hearts are one of my favorite flowers. I've had no luck getting them to thrive in our yard since they need indirect sun and always end up fried.
Greg, the correct answer to your daughter's question was "Um, what do you think they should be called, honey?" then insert a big Dora-like pause and say "That's a good name!"...
Yeah, see, I would have called them "flowers" and the tree they were under "a tree".
Then we'd move onto something important, like making sure she learns her Beatles' songs...
[yeah, the kid's recently become paranoid of bugs of any kind, so that's been pushed down the list... -ed.]
Hey, at least she didn't pick Love Lies Bleeding
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranthus_caudatus
Who names these things, anyways?
oh, and by the way? they're POISONOUS.
here is a whole boatload of other plants the kid shouldn't ingest
[thanks, we don't even walk on other people's lawn, much less pick--or eat--their flowers. but useful info nonetheless. -ed.]