Yorktown Onion Season, Yorktown, Virginia

The Yorktown Onions are springing up all over Yorktown and portions of the Colonial Parkway. The first photos shows them before the "head" opens; the second shows a group with the heads; and, the final shows a close up of how they will soon look.

The Yorktown Onion, in this country, is supposedly native only to York County, Virginia. Though no one seems certain, it is believed to have come from Russia via England during colonial times. It is tall and gangly but eye-catching; standing about three feet tall or more with a thee inch purple head.  It is against the law to harvest or collect them. Along the Colonial Parkway there are large patches of them growing wild which they mow around to avoid damaging the plants.