Plea For Help!

OK well, I had intended to write something at least a little entertaining but wanting to acknowledge the subject of my photo I took a side journey into the internet trying to identify these purplish flowers. I'm sure that I should know what they are
but, for the life of me,I couldn't find them anywhere in the very short list of Missouri wildflower "handbooks" that was made available to me.
So this is an open invitation (more like a plea for help!) for anyone with knowledge of a good web site about Missouri wildflowers to to let me know about it.
I have, as I'm sure you realize, an abundance of wildflower photos and in order to sound a little like I know what I'm talking about I've got to be able to identify these beautys. My email address is in my complete profile at the right. Thanks in advance-Jeff

Hole In The Wall

This is Valley Water Mill and this little hole in the wall is actually a place of historic significance. In the middle and late nineteenth century it was used as a grist mill and pond and then in the early and middle twentieth century as a water supply for the city of Springfield,Mo. The grist mill was in service until 1898.
This approximately 100 acre area contains a 17 acre lake, wetlands, a spring-fed stream, caves, sinkholes, glades and forests. There is a 2 1/2 mile trail to take all of this in by.
Pretty cool to take in all of this beauty and get a history lesson too. It's truly awesome to live in the Ozarks!

Just Give It a Minute...

Recently I visited the Bois D'Arc Conservation Area. The trails there aren't as intertwined with the landscape as most. What I mean by that is the trails are wide enough to drive a truck through- a big truck. Great for a walk, but not neccessarily being "one" with nature. I enjoy being in the midst of the woods or fields - as I said before, not knowing what's around the bend.
As I sat pondering whether to go off the trail and into the woods this guy fluttered in and sat next to me on this musk thistle. I must have watched him for several minutes because by the time he flew off he had quite a dusting of pollen. I guess this story really isn't going anywhere other than to say that nature is all around us. If you don't think so just give it a minute- it'll come to you.

Bottoms Up!

This chicory doesn't seem to know that summer has come and gone. It seemed to be pretty darn healthy when I saw it recently. I wonder if that has anything to do with it's reputation for making a relatively stout drink. I understand that one can roast the root of the plant and either drink it or use it as an additive for coffee. I doubt that I would go to all of the trouble to roast, grind and brew a cup but I wouldn't mind trying it. Maybe some day I'll be feeling all Ewell Gibbons (remember Mr. Grapenuts?) and I'll give it a try.

Tweeners...

As I said, the leaves aren't quite at peak color yet. In my last post I may have insinuated that I would be waiting until that time to get out and photograph the fall foliage. Surely you know me better than that! ( Must have been the cold feet!) It's this time of year when the trees still have plenty of green left and the landscape is blotched with the brilliant oranges, yellows and reds that I call my pictures "tweeners" - the time between summer green and autumn gold.

Warm Summer Day

Today it finally set in that summer is over. It's been a little extra chilly all day long and I just could not warm my feet up. I know that it's snowing in other parts of the U.S. but we've had it pretty nice around here until lately. The leaves aren't quite at peak change yet so I've not done much in the way of foliage photos. In the mean time I'll just sit and look at this picture when I start to chill because it definitely says warm summer day to me.

Blue Highway

One of the many winding two lane highways in southwestern Missouri. I often like to turn off of the main highway and follow the smaller routes just to see where they go. Most, like this one, lead me to places that make me feel lucky to be a part of and I know I won't soon forget.

You Can Never Go Back...

That's what they say anyway. This is an area next to the Sac River that I used to picnic with my family some 40 odd years ago. As it turns out, I now live just a couple of miles down the road from this spot. One day I got permission from the landowner to go down and walk around with my camera hoping that I would be magically transported back to those days, something that I'd been wanting to do for years.
40 years is a very long time. I'm pretty sure that I was somewhere in the immediate vicinity of our summer picnics but nothing clicked and nothing I saw swept me back to that time.
But as I looked around, hoping for just a flicker of those days I did go back and I was there, if only momentarily - if only within my own memories...