READER REPORTS: Abandoned bicycle? (update, owner found) Plus, poppy thief

| Crime | Found bicycles | West Seattle news

Before we get back to West Seattle Summer Fest coverage – a couple other notes:

ABANDONED BICYCLE? Steve stopped by the Info Booth at Summer Fest to tell us about that bike: “This bike was sitting at the Oregon sSt bike parking area at 6 am this morning with no lock. I locked it up in hopes of finding the owner.” If it’s yours, email us and we’ll connect you.

SUNDAY UPDATE: Steve stopped by our table at the festival early today to tell us how this was resolved. He had left contact info on the bike in case the owner came back for it – which he did. Long story short, he had a medical emergency that forced him to leave the bike there – and when he was finally OK enough to come back for it, he found Steve’s contact info, and once Steve verified ownership, he unlocked the bike and the owner rode away.

POPPY THIEF: From Jessica:

7/9 late night/ 7/10 early hours someone cut and stole all my poppy flower seed pods. This happened several years ago when I planted them in my backyard as well. I live in the Gatewood neighborhood and have grown a garden accessible for folks to enjoy cut flowers from but NOT to steal ALL of one kind of flower. The thief probably thinks they can make a narcotic like tea with the pods.

Sarah July 11, 2026 (5:37 pm)

I’m confused by the poppy part. The photo isn’t of any poppies I’m familiar with. And they were previously stolen from her backyard? The most likely culprit here is wildlife, like rabbits. If not that, I’d guess a fellow gardener either trying to prevent reseeding or harvesting seeds for themself.Using as a narcotic is… Unlikely.

Kersti July 11, 2026 (6:54 pm)

If they plant them, they are on for a surprise! They don’t grow into the same poppy!likely F1 hybrid that will revert back to grandparent flower

Fiz July 11, 2026 (9:12 pm)

Will serve them right! Years ago someone cut and pulled out hundreds of tulips in our front yard between five and six a.m. It would have been a lot of effort. I don’t understand some people.

Neighborhood ppatch July 12, 2026 (8:38 am)

Two ladies were in the Barton Street P Patch this past Wednesday and when I told them they aren’t supposed to go in peoples plots and pick things they’ve grown; they told me they were “only picking poppy seeds” with no further explanation …

Gardener July 12, 2026 (10:06 am)

From the looks of that: it is a very old poppy variety. Inside the dried portion would be many many tiny black seeds that can grow into flowers the next season. Where the opium comes from those flowers is when the seed pod is just starting and it’s still green.. apparently you can take a razor blade and slice the green exterior seed pod and it will ooze a white liquid that is supposedly opium … that’s what I have heard. The flowers are definitely gorgeous. They are hardy and beautiful to look at. Apparently, the old varieties have the opium capacity …and in the new varieties the opium factor has been removed genetically they are simply lovely flowers. And yes.: it is totally rude to take somebody’s flowers or the seeds from their flowers.!

Chris July 12, 2026 (10:10 am)

We had our poppy seed flower pods disappear too! Thought it was a bit strange, however our plants disappear off and on too. Mystery plant snatchers.

KinesthesiaAmnesia July 12, 2026 (3:40 pm)

A few summers ago I grew chives in a pot on my window sill. They didn’t grow as well as I thought they should. So I rehomed them. Then a neighbor asked me where my chives went, because they missed picking all of them when they walked past my place. People here have some really interesting spatial issues when it comes to other people’s plants.

22blades July 13, 2026 (3:27 am)

✅ Thanks to Steve for looking out for the person with the medical emergency & his bike. You made sure the person didn’t have any more drama for the day. 👍

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