If anyone ever doubted the reality of evolution's creative impulse, I suggest that you look at the very strange flower of the Indian Cucumber. I learned how to identify this native plant, a member of the Lily family that bears the scientific name of Medeola virginiana, decades ago—actually, more than half-a-century ago—when I was bitten by the Euell Gibbons Stalking the Wild Asparagus bug and started to get deeply into foraging. Indian Cucumber, which has a quite delicious edible rhizome, is fairly common in our woods, and, with its distinctive whorls of leaves, it's a botanical standout in the hardwood understory. I regret to say that not only did I eat my share of wild "cukes," but I also pointed more people than I care to remember in the direction of this plant. In retrospect, that was probably a bad idea, and I can only hope that I didn't contribute to M. virginiana becoming locally scarce. I no longer eat them, and I do not encourage anyone else to do so. Cucumbers are cheap and easy to grow, and we should leave the Indian variety alone, if for no other reason than to dazzle us with those fantastic June flowers, the creation of the Master Evolutionist on some kind of controlled substance.