山中的茴香草又开花了。细长高大的杆子上撑开着簇拥着一片片的黄花，艳丽明亮，芳香阵阵，引来无数蜜蜂，蝴蝶，花青虫(最后一张),还有像我们这样的观赏者驻足回眸。
 

我是个南方人，以前并不知茴香草，对茴香草并没有太多的情怀。偶遇它是两年前的一个秋日。自己的爬山队因为人员不齐，周六的活动取消了。我风闻别组也在附近爬山，就欣然加入。就那么唯一的一次，一个河北男子指着斜坡上的快要干枯的植物说，那是茴香，并顺手采下点籽，说明年春天种在自己后院。他说起的茴香饺子好像是世界上最好吃的食物。

第二年的夏天，我在我们重复走了无数次的山上又一次遇见它。夏天的南加，干旱得山荒岭秃。而就在那片贫脊 的土地上，却婷婷玉立着它，如须如丝的绿叶，径直的杆上绽放着黄色的花朵。虽然它跟印象中干枯的样子大相径庭，然而它那独特的芳香还是唤醒了那留存在我记忆中的香味，让我记起那就是茴香。

队友中有不少北方人，在我告诉他们这就是茴香草之后，喜悦之余，还半信半疑。采了一把回家，用很少量的试了试，鉴定完之后，高兴得像李时珍发现了新草药，知道这个店里很少有卖的茴香其实就在我们身边，他们从此可以一解茴香饺子/茴香饼之馋。秋天，我们相约着一起采籽；今年春天，家家户户的后院都种上了茴香。

虽然我还是吃不惯茴香，然在我，那是大自然的芳香被我带回了家中。当我独自一人在院子时, 看着它的花瓣，闻着它沁人心脾的芳香，想起的是夏日山中的清凉和气息。

Fennel is in full bloom again, on the hills and in the backyard. Its beautiful yellow flowers spread out upright，while its unique aroma attracts dozens of bees to buzz around, and occasionally a few butterflies to sit on the top, enjoying the nectar.

I am from southern China. Fennel is not something that we recognize or eat. Getting to know it quite coincidental. One fall Saturday morning two years ago, I joined another neighboring team for a hike when my own team was cancelled for the activity. The gentleman in the team, who is from Hebei, pointed to a withering stalk when he picked up the seeds, telling me that it is the fennel, and that he would be sowing them next spring. This is the first time I saw it. 

Summer came the following year. The trail that we have repeatedly hiked week after week was now even more boring, when the prolonged drought deprived hills of almost all the living green. Except in the valley, where oak trees survive, the hill top was just barren with only some drought resistant plants wearily standing there. Against such backdrop, anything green would easily catch our eyes. One morning, on the way back, a plant with green needle-shaped leaves, bloomed on the roadside, beautifully and resiently under the sun. Vaguely, it looked familiar, and it is the unique spectacular aroma from the leaves that awakened me. It is fennel. I never knew that its flowers could be so abundant and pretty. 

My teammates were thrilled to learn that, as fennels are not easily available in the supermarket, and they have been absent from their cuisine for so long. Their excitement gave away their craving for the flavor. 

We ended up seeing more of them later on. When the fall finally arrived last year, we hiked to pick the seeds, and planted in our backyard this spring. To me, the fennel is not food ingredient; it is more of a sight to remind me of its place and beauty in the wilderness.