A few weeks ago, I read a post by Angie of Letting Go of the Bay Leaf. She goes on long walks through woods and fields and takes the most amazing photos of plants and wildlife. I looked out at my drought-stricken field and thought there's no way anything is blooming around here. But the next time I had some free time, I drove down a few nearby roads, and this is what I found.
Farmers around here are complaining that the ground is so hard they can't plow for fall planting, so I didn't expect to find much, if anything. Imagine my surprise when I came upon a field covered with white blooms.
But it wasn't blooms. The upper leaves on this plant change to white in late summer. Snow on the Prairie, aka Snow on the Mountain, (Euphorbia marginata) is considered poisonous and a threat to livestock, so it's safe to say this field is not being farmed. The plant is a source of nectar for bees and butterflies and this time of year, beekeepers aren't collecting honey but letting their bees build up their hives for winter. The plant is a little plain here, but further north in the Texas panhandle, the plant leaves are showy, larger, and more varigated. Another Euphorbia you're probably familiar with is Euphorbia pulcherrima, the Christmas poinsettia.
Near every fenceline, I spotted the purple heads of False Purple Thistle (Eryngium leavenworthii). Again, not a true flower, but the seed head is purple along with the leaves surrounding it.
Then I rounded a corner and finally saw a bigger patch of them. These may be pretty, but take my word for it that they have nasty spines all over the plant that burn when they touch skin. Our front pasture was covered with these and I once made the mistake of trying to walk through them to get to the other side. Ouch, ouch, ouch!
Another curve in the road, and I found my first true flowers.
It might not look like much, but they are photo worthy because of their size. These false gaura, are about eight feet tall. The usual height is around two feet. There were honey bees flitting from bloom to bloom. Obviously, they appreciated these little flowers, no matter the height.
I'm linking to:
Mosaic Monday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf
Hello, I am sorry about the drought. We could use more rain here too. I like the pretty thistle, the color is lovely. Enjoy your day, wishing you a happy new week!
ReplyDeleteI live in a desert so we know how hard the drought years are. You did find some lovely plants along the way. I love going for drives and walks through this type of terrain.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day and week. ♥
I love the different impressions that show me your beautiful photos!
ReplyDeleteThere are still many beautiful, flowering Pfalnzen in the fall.
best regards
my Mosaic
Weeds are flowers although Euphorbium being poisonous I wouldn't have growing near grazing animals.
ReplyDeleteNeat pics thoufh
MB
They may be flowers but I don't ever want to have one near enough to touch again. The burning sensation stayed with me awhile. I see some in my neighbor's field with his horses and cattle and I suppose those thorns are good for something as they seem to keep the animals from trying to eat them.
DeleteI suppose there is a positive side - no matter how bad the drought, there is always something blooming. Looking at the bright side is not my strength but you did a great job finding the beauty.
ReplyDeleteJeannie@GetMeToTheCountry
You have beautiful flowers in your area ! Purrs
ReplyDeleteEven the thorns on the thistle are a pretty purple! I love looking for the beauty at every season and place. Even the weeds are colorful and provide places for butterflies and bees!
ReplyDeleteMarti: I love the False Purple Thistle they are lovely as are the other flowering plants.
ReplyDeleteCatherine
Marti - I am so touched that I might have inspired you to go looking for flowers in your neck of the woods! Tearful, even. To me, this is what blogging is all about. Thanks for your shout-out and the validation - we all need it now and then. Love all of the plants, especially the gaura. So glad to have you back at Mosaic Monday!
ReplyDeleteThere are some tough plants out there,able to survive droughts. It's too bad that many of them are not very friendly. The guara is beautiful, and I'm happy the bees are enjoying it, too.
ReplyDeleteWe have a lot of the false purple thistles here in the fall. It took us a while to find the right name for them, we used to refer to those as that Alien Purple People Eater plant. Thanks for the lesson on local wild flowers. The version of Euphoria around here is pink tinged, but it's pretty.
ReplyDeleteFabulous nature❤
ReplyDelete