Chives are an allium perennial that start early in the spring. By late spring they send up flowers to seed more chives. (The flower throws the seed to expand the area.) The seed heads are pretty for the table and are edible as well.
Here is a supper salad with potatoes, beef, and Swiss chard topped with the parts of the chive flower. I took the flower, pulled it apart, and sprinkled the parts on my salad. It added a chive/onion flavor to the meal.