Common Hop – humulus lupulus

“Whoever drinks beer, he is quick to sleep; whoever sleeps long, does not sin; whoever does not sin, enters Heaven! Thus, let us drink beer!”
― Martin Luther
A change of pace, sort of, from garden plants and flowers, yet this is a flower. The flower of the hop plant. A chief ingredient in beer and a very interesting green flower.
I had heard of hop plants and seen photos of them, thinking them native to Europe and Asia, but not till recently did I see a live specimen. Now, they seem to be quite common, once I knew what to look for, then they seem to be everywhere and I wonder how I missed them for so long.
Hop is an interesting plant, with natural antibacterial properties, which is why it was first used in beer making, as a preservative. I’d like to try growing one in my garden but apparently, they grow very quickly and I’d be afraid of overwhelming my yard.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 200mm with 20mm macro extender
1.6 sec, f/20.0, ISO 200
High Resolution image on 500px:
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Funny, though. I never sleep long after drinking beer. The call of nature won’t let me. 😉
So tempting. The hop plant seems very cute and pretty. Looks a little like artichokes.
Yet it grows almost 3 inches a day in ideal conditions.
I like your work!
Thank you
Now I’ll be on the lookout for them too 🙂