Eliza scowled and waved a towel at the flies buzzing above the bowl. "Pick me some fresh asparagus grass. These pests are a plag
ue." . . . . The asparagus grass grew along the back fence. I gathered a handful of fronds, cut them at the base, and tied the bunch tightly with a piece of twine. Back in the kitchen, I stood on a chair and hung them from an iron hook in the center ceiling beam. "There," I said, pushing the chair back against the wall. "That should discourage the flies." —Fever 1793, Laurie Halse Anderson What conclusion can be drawn about asparagus grass? Flies do not like its smell. Flies love its smell. Flies are attracted to its color.
In the passage from "Fever 1793," the author Laurie Halse Anderson makes reference to the native African asparagus grass, which is used by Eliza and the narrator to prevent flies to come into the kitchen. In fact, the narrator says "That should discourage the flies." In that respect, flies are intimidated by the plant, which contains flowers and thorns, as well as small, red, toxic berries.
