Standing Guard

This year, I'm trying to grow Cherokee purple tomatoes, and I guess Mother Nature heard about it, because she sent a plant that has been used for years by the Cherokees to give my tomato plants company. This is yucca filamentosa. And Adam's needle, Spanish bayonet and the sentry plant are just a few of its common names.

The Cherokees used the sharp, spiky leaves at the base of this plant to stun fish. And the Spanish settlers in the New World traditionally planted it under the windows of their daughter's bedroom to keep away males. By all reports it was quite effective.

I'm not sure how this one ended up in our yard, but it sprouted up through one of the shrubs near our back fence. Seeds travel by many means and I guess some of them manged to find their way to the fertile soil of our residence. I'm told the blossoms attract hummingbirds as well as bees and other pollinators. So it is an unexpected but welcome visitor that should help with my gardening efforts.