Butter-and-Eggs Traditional Cache

Butter-and-eggs (the Snapdragon kind), at last in a place not too close to another cache. The cache is across the trail from the flowers.

Butter-and-eggs

Linaria vulgaris (common toadflax, yellow toadflax, or butter-and-eggs) is a species of toadflax(Linaria), native to most of Europe, northern Asia, the United Kingdom, Spain, east to eastern Siberia, and western China. It has also been introduced and is now common in North America.

The flowers are similar to those of the snapdragon, 25–33 mm long, pale yellow except for the lower tip which is orange, borne in dense terminal racemes from mid summer to mid autumn. The flowers are mostly visited by bumblebees.

The plant is widespread on ruderal spots, along roads, in dunes, and on disturbed and cultivated land.

Because the flower is largely closed by its underlip, pollination requires strong insects such as bees and bumblebees (Bombus species)

While most commonly found as a weed, toadflax is sometimes cultivated for cut flowers, which are long-lasting in the vase. Like snapdragons (Antirrhinum), they are often grown in children's gardens for the "snapping" flowers which can be made to "talk" by squeezing them at the base of the corolla.

The plant requires ample drainage, but is otherwise adaptable to a variety of conditions. It has escaped from cultivation in North America where it is a common naturalised weed of roadsides and poor soils; it is listed as an invasive species in several U.S. states and Canadian provinces.

Despite its reputation as a weed, like the dandelion, this plant has also been used in folk medicine for a variety of ailments. A tea made from the leaves was taken as a laxative and strong diuretic as well as for jaundice, dropsy, and enteritis with drowsiness. For skin diseases and piles, either a leaf tea or an ointment made from the flowers was used. In addition, a tea made in milk instead of water has been used as an insecticide. It is confirmed to have diuretic and fever-reducing properties.

Because this plant grows as a weed, it has acquired a large number of local colloquial names, including brideweed, bridewort, butter and eggs (but see Lotus corniculatus), butter haycocks, bread and butter, bunny haycocks, bunny mouths, calf's snout, Continental weed, dead men's bones, devil's flax, devil's flower, doggies, dragon bushes, eggs and bacon (but see Lotus corniculatus), eggs and butter, false flax, flaxweed, fluellen (but see Kickxia), gallweed, gallwort, impudent lawyer, Jacob's ladder (but see Polemonium), lion's mouth, monkey flower (but see Mimulus), North American ramsted, rabbit flower, rancid, ransted, snapdragon (but see Antirrhinum), wild flax, wild snapdragon, wild tobacco (but see Nicotiana), yellow rod, yellow toadflax.

The aggressive nature of this plant and its ability to form large colonies allows it to crowd out other vegetation. Once established, high seed production and ability to reproduce vegetatively allow for rapid dispersal and high persistence. Its rhizomatous habit makes the eradication of this species difficult.

 Plants contain poisonous glycosides that are reported to be moderately toxic to livestock.

The cache is a tied in, camoed, "micro" pill bottle. Push down hard and turn, both to open and close. It holds a rolled log with a rubber band, protected by a plastic bag. Please keep track of it and put it back as found. Also, BYOP and No tweezers, please.