Among Flowers (Still)
(Click on images to enlarge, click again to zoom.)
We continued our slow, stop-and-go travel along the old logging road. It seems we were behaving like the insects who land on a flower, enjoy it, flit away to another bloom and continue on their merry way in the same fashion. Our progress through the forest was slow. But ever-so-enjoyable.
Birds continued their singing beyond our visual range. We anticipate seeing youngsters learning to fly and hunt on our next visit. For now, hearing the music is enough.
Once again, the accidental success of observation has been fascinating. I see a bit of color. Closer inspection reveals a flower and I attempt to record its image. Lowering the camera, another bit of color, within inches of that first bit of color, catches my eye and another photograph is called for. Kneeling down to inspect the second flower more closely brings my eyes to a different perspective and – imagine that – yet another flower a few feet away. Kid. Candy store.
Speaking of keen observation. Gini pointed: “The thistle stems are moving.” Almost. A half-dozen leaf-footed bugs are moving up and down the spiny stems as they go about their daily search for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Speaking of which, my nature-loving Love asks if we can stop at the BBQ place on the way home. Now, if we can just get to the main road without too many more stops to look for – “Look at that group of Coralbean plants!”.
A late lunch will be just fine.
Yellow Milkwort (Polygala rugelii) is fairly abundant in this upland pine forest habitat. It is endemic to Florida and the bright sunshine color brightens up the landscape. (Note: It seems many species in the Polygala genus have been moved to Senega. Most sources I’ve checked don’t reflect the change, so I’ll stick with the old until I’m threatened with offense against a milkwort.)
More bright color is provided by a very healthy crop of Purple Thistle (Cirsium horridulum). Whether it’s called Bristle, Bull, Horrible, Purple, Spiny or Yellow Thistle, this member of the Aster family is vital to a huge number of creatures.
Gini’s “moving stems” turned out to be busy Eastern Leaf-footed Bugs (Leptoglossus phyllopus).
Bees and butterflies like the beautiful blooms of the Lyreleaf Sage (Salvia lyrata) almost as much as we do. For a different reason, though.
We’re pretty sure this diminutive flower is Browne’s Savory (Clinopodium brownei). It grows in wet areas and is a member of the Mint family.
A female Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) perched with her wings forward appears ready to dash away in pursuit of, we hope, a nasty little mosquito.
Since we grew up in central Florida and spent a lot of time on lakes fishing, we almost take the ubiquitous Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata) for granted. Then we take time to look closely at its structure and colors and fall in love with it all over again.
I suppose some administrative adviser couldn’t figure out which exact species should be Florida’s state wildflower so they just chose the entire Coreopsis genus. The wiry-stemmed Leavenworth’s Tickseed (Coreopsis leavenworthii) is one very lovely representative for the state.
Long nodding racemes packed with tiny white flowers sway in the breeze and invite us to come closer for a better look at the Lizard’s Tail (Saururus cernuus). A pleasant fragrance enhances the invitation. Unfortunately, the plant is usually growing in a very wet place likely filled with snarling snakes waiting for an unsuspecting victim. (Okay, yes, I waded out there and got a picture. No snakes. This time.)
We encountered quite a few patches of Carolina Wild Petunia (Ruellia caroliniensis) this morning. The lavender, tube-shaped blooms attract a large variety of bees and butterflies. Despite their common name, these are not true Petunias (Solanaceae family) but are in the Acanthus family.
Coralbean (Erythrina herbacea). What an interesting plant. From the springtime bright red tubular flowers to the fall brown seed pods filled with scarlet seeds, these plants often grow to over six feet tall. Yet another flower with an adoring audience of nectar lovers.
Velcro. I have no doubt that the person who invented velcro came up with the idea after picking beggar lice (hitch-hikers) from their socks after a day in the field. Who knew the pesky little things had such a pretty flower? Panicled Ticktrefoil (Desmodium paniculatum), one of 22 species of that genus within Florida, can be forgiven its hitchiking seeds as long as it keeps displaying a bloom such as this.
In the unlikely event we had forgotten, a courting pair of small Phaon Crescents (Phyciodes phaon) reminded us – it’s Spring!
Any time we are able to be outside exploring Nature is a good thing. There is something quite special about Spring, though. A reawakening of the land, rekindling optimism about our lives, reaffirming relationships. For us, Spring is also a very special time to be – Among Flowers.
Enjoy your search for a special place and come back for a visit!
Our Natural Places 
The line “snarling snakes” stopped me dead in my tracks, read it once, read it twice, shielded Linda from those charged words and then read it again. I don’t mind Snakes as a general rule as long as I know they are there – they like to wander our woods (god forbid the lady of the house doesn’t see them doing that) and most mornings I’m hopping over several absorbing heat from the warmer trail dirt…but when I don’t see them, they make my heart skip – similar when I made it to the “waded” word – yikes.
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Nature is full of surprises. Some more heart-stopping than others.
But if we don’t go out there we wouldn’t find the neat stuff. Most of the snarling stuff is quick to avoid us. Thank goodness.
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Wow, the first photo is both beautiful and eerie. I expect something to come running out from behind those trees at any moment! The Leaf-footed Bugs are interesting little critters.
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There are some things in the woods in this area I would love to photograph, but at a nice telephoto distance. Black bear, bobcat and coyote call this swamp forest home. Not to mention the cottonmouth, coral and rattling beauties who enjoy the shade of those ferns.
Finding beauty is not without risk. You know, like hiking out into the desert to spend the night alone to capture a the glory of the Milky Way.
Thanks for the visit and nice comments Peter!
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Spring is also my favorite season. It never lasts long enough.
I’m convinced that all of us would be better off if we emulated what you so eloquently describe in the following quote: “It seems we were behaving like the insects who land on a flower, enjoy it, flit away to another bloom and continue on their merry way in the same fashion.”
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That’s us. A couple of busy bees chasing after busy bees.
Spring DOES last all year. At least in my soul.
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Believe it or not, I recently found Carolina wild petunia in a very special place, very close to home: a place that’s just reopened after months of this-and-that related to municipal construction projects. I only found two in bloom, but there will be a photo.
I’m sure you found Browne’s Savory, but it looks much taller than what I see here. It could be perspective, or it could be that the patches I’ve found emerged and bloomed after mowing. It’s a pretty thing, as is the Panicled Ticktrefoil. We have the same or similar Ticktrefoil species here; that cute little face makes it easy to recognize.
I have to say, those leaf-footed bugs are ones that can give me the slight creeps. They seem to favor Spanish moss around here, and a faceful of moss filled with those critters is about an 8.2 on my creepy scale!
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We were very happy to encounter so many wild petunias on this trip. Typically, we only find a couple of plants at that location. This trip, it was a couple of dozen, sprinkled around several areas.
That little Browne’s Savory gave me pause as I read it seldom exceeded 6 inches in height. I reckon this batch was in that “seldom” group as most was around 10-12 inches.
The blooms of the ticktrefoil reminded me of my current favorite plant, the Showy Milkwort (Asemeia violacea) but with even smaller flowers.
It may not help your aversion to them, but the Leaf-footed Bugs are mostly vegetarian. In handling them, I’ve discovered they can bite, but it’s just a small pinch. Last year, I grabbed the bird-feeder tray to clean it and my hand was immediately covered in bright orange little bugs which turned out to be leaf-footed nymphs. No injuries but pretty startling. (Oops. Hope I haven’t added to the creepy scale.)
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I enjoyed learning about your special place Wally. And I hope your late BBQ lunch was good!
Ed
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Thank you, Ed.
Yep. Great Q, little hole-in-the-wall place.
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BBQ sounds like the perfect way to end a great outing like that!
It is amazing what you can find out there if you just open your eyes.
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We’ve actually been known to START a great outing with BBQ. A little leftover smoked brisket mixed with scrambled eggs plus some home fries provides plenty of energy for exploring!
Hope y’all are having a great Canadian day!
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Savory, sage, rosemary and thyme. You triggered audio and olfactory memories, as well as visual ones!
I’m entranced by the leaf-footed bugs – I need to go out and hunt for some. Such a clever adaptation 🙂
I don’t know if we have your Carolina Wild Petunia here, but I’ve planted a very similar Mexican Petunia (ruellia) in my garden. Never would have anticipated they are part of the Acanthus family – the leaves seem completely different. Of course, the only Acanthus I know is that featured in William Morris wallpaper and fabrics.
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Happy to have triggered all types of memories.
Those are pretty cool bugs. Be forewarned. If you try to pet one, they do tend to bite. Nothing serious, just sayin’.
According to BONAP and USDA, Carolina Wild petunia (Ruellia caroliniensis) occurs in Texas. In Florida, the Mexican Wild Petunia (R. simplex) has been declared invasive and folks are discouraged from planting it. Not sure about your area. They do look similar.
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Very nice floral, and friends, photos Wally.
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Thanks very much, Brad.
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probably never any bug-footed leaves.
It was cockle-burs in Awitzerland that inspired Velcro.
While the name “lizard tail” invokes the hind end of a critter, the inflorescence might also conjure up a flowery apatosaurus’s front end.
Similarly to what you say about Coreopsis species collectively being Florida’s state wildflower, all the Lupinus species that grow natively in Texas serve together as the state’s official wildflower. Why a state needs an official wildflower (or anything else) remains a daunting metaphysical question.
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Well, that got mangled. The first sentence was supposed to be “We’ve both photographed leaf-footed bugs, but probably never any bug-footed leaves. And the name of the country is Switzerland.
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Thank you for sorting out the confusion.
Now you have me reviewing my archives for bug-footed leaves.
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Hah! I suspected some sort of plant-related inspiration was afoot (on the foot?) for Velcro.
We need look no further than the State’s treasury department to understand why we all cannot exist without mottoes, trees, animals, wildflowers and other assorted marketable items.
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That is a cracking shot of the Crescents!
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Thanks, Brian.
Timing and luck are two traits I rely heavily upon. Especially that second one.
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So much poetry among the smallest flowers.
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You are so right!
Thank you for visiting us.
Your post on the historical church service was really special.
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Thank you so much for this bounteous bouquet.
Forget me nots may also have inspired velcro – and stick better than any velcro I have ever come across.
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You’re very welcome, EC.
I strongly suspect Nature has resulted in many human inventions.
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