After the wonderful stop at Moss Lake we headed further north towards the Red River.
Our first stop along the dusty road was for a kettle of Mississippi Kites! Migration time!
Snow-on-the-prairie (Euphorbia bicolor)! The cows don’t care for it.
Turning to the other side of the road, this land was not grazed.
The Eryngo has started turning purple. And the Basketflowers would have been colorful here this past spring.
Driving further down the road we saw that the Blue Sage (Salvia azurea var. grandiflora) was just starting. As all the plants along this very dusty road, I am certain they would welcome a rain. And I am sure with the rain this past week they were happy. At least for a moment before the dust returned. 🙂
As we drove further north the Snow-on-the-prairie changed to Snow-on-the-mountain (Euphorbia marginata). It always looks fuller to me. Perhaps because the bracts tend to have more white. It also can be glabrous (no hair) to pilose (soft hairs). A word of caution they are known to hybridize. So if you are serious about the ID you should look very closely. I did not do that here. 🙂
A dusty friend jumped in the car. And unless it found a way out, it might now be a resident either Wise or Montague counties. LOL.
I wonder sometimes how those roadside plants survive being covered with caliche dust a majority of the time. Seems like it would interfere with photosynthesis, but maybe it’s strangely protective in some ways too. Very thought provoking article about the ethics of microbiome research. And what an amazing perspective on accessibility to artifacts that Israeli museum has! I would have melted into a puddle if my child had broken that jar.
Snow on whichever is always stunning. Good ending about the jar.
Bet all that rain washed all free from all the road dust! There was so much of it.
Interesting the snow on the mountain switches over so soon! That’s mostly what we have here in Norman
It seems to change when you get close to the river.
I wonder sometimes how those roadside plants survive being covered with caliche dust a majority of the time. Seems like it would interfere with photosynthesis, but maybe it’s strangely protective in some ways too. Very thought provoking article about the ethics of microbiome research. And what an amazing perspective on accessibility to artifacts that Israeli museum has! I would have melted into a puddle if my child had broken that jar.
It was wonderful. Maybe the child will grow up to be an archaeologist.
😂😂😂 Suzanne. I too would have melted.