We were seeing good stuff as we walked along on the Dixon’s prairie.
The prairie sloped down and we found water (i.e. a ditch).
On the American Water-willow (Justicia americana), the Dodder (Cuscuta) had climbed aboard! However we headed back up because there would be no Black Dalea plants here.
The Green Milkweed (Asclepias viridis) seems plentiful. Interesting to me, the American Basket-flower (Plectocephalus americanus) has been rather short this season. So that suggests to me it probably wasn’t as pleased with the weather??
Meadow Pink (Sabatia campestris) were low in the grasses with the new growth of a Snow-on-the-prairie (Euphorbia marginata) waiting for late summer to shine!
Hidden in the grasses we found the White Prairie Rose (Rosa foliolosa)! This rose never gets very tall.
The Sneezeweed Elegans (Helenium elegans) likes the weepy limestone soils!
The Prairie Indian Plantain (Arnoglossum plantagineum) was going to seed!
Now you are probably wondering, did we find any Black Dalea and thus Thurber’s Pilostyles. So we did find small patches of the Black Dalea. But the Black Dalea mostly had very small stems. Only a few of the Black Dalea had bigger stems. And these were among the Prickly Pear Cactus. Moreover I was doubtful that small stems would support the Thurber’s Pilostyles. My theory is that the sheep must graze on it not allowing it to grow big. and only the few that were among the cactus had a chance to grow bigger.
A few of the Black Dalea were starting to bloom!
So no luck on the Thurber’s Pilostyles this time. But I am hopeful that I will have success and find another population somewhere sooner or later. 🙂 And it is always a pleasure to be out on the prairie!
Thank you to the Dixon Water Foundation for letting me look!
Bear cam is really cool.
Did see a salmon jump in the bear cam – no bears tho!
Sorry the Pilostyles was not found. But a prairie walk is never bad!