Herb Robert

 Recently I wrote of common names being a problem. Herb  Robert was not a problem, but I was impressed with the common names I could find for this little flower. Here are a few..... Red Robin, Red  Shanks,  Dragon's Blood, Death Come Quickly,  Doves Foot, Crows Foot, and  Stinky Bob. Dragons blood struck me as an interesting name for the plant, and it turns out that the leaves become stained with red at the end of the flowering season. In Washington state it is known as a noxious weed and called  Stinky Bob. It does have a disagreeable odor when you break or crush the stem or leaves.  Some say it can be rubbed on the body to act as a mosquito repellent. Historically, what ever is in the secretion, tannins, bitters, or essential oils, was thought to be a cure for the plague. The name Robert may have come from either a Benedictine monk,  St. Robert, or Robert Duke of Normandy for whom the "Ortus  Sanitatis" was written. The "Ortus  Sanitatis" was a medical guide or Herbal,  written and wonderfully illustrated in the  1400's, and was used for nearly one hundred years.

Where I found it : Near a river

P. S.   Somehow when I see this flower I want to say " Bob's your Uncle " .... a  British saying I will never understand.