Believe it or not, the flowers start to appear on St. John’s Day which is June 23. I have observed this phenomenon for twenty years. Be patient and one day at the end of June you will see bright yellow flowers blooming everywhere in wild spaces throughout the area. Collect the newly-opened flowers in the morning after the dew has dried: it’s best to do this on a sunny day. You will compete with the insects while collecting the flowers. The plants will reside in one area for a couple of years and then disappear. I collect the flowers throughout their flowering season which lasts about one month.
These beautiful plants appeared in the dune grass. I sprang into action, went to the store to get some olive oil. Scored a horseradish jar from the refrigerator, cleaned it out, collected the flowers and poured the olive oil into the jar making sure to cover all the flowers. I put the jar in the hot sunshine and volia in 6 weeks I will have a neon red oil.
