Last-Ditch Attempts, 2

 I call this first photo "Bridge Over Troubled Water."  Why is it troubled?  Because it's confined to a man-made ditch, straightened, controlled....  It wants to run free.  Kind of reminds me of school where they're always trying to get kids to walk the "straight and narrow."

It's been a long week - and it's only Monday.  One result is that I've gotten my photos from ditches 2 and 3 mixed up.  The story is essentially the same though.  The next three photos are views of Chicory.  Everyone sees this large, shrub-like wildflower at the sides of our highways for the last half of the summer, but I wonder how many appreciate the intricate blossoms and all the insect activity that takes place on and around them.  I managed to watch hover flies for a while and got some photos of them hovering...then landing.  This all happens so fast that it can be difficult focus on the fly or the flower, so I let the camera decide.  This time I got lucky and got a sharp photo of the fly as it landed, and left the blossom a bit blurry.

I made up for the blurry flower by getting this sharp photo of a Chicory blossom showing the hairy petals, especially on the left side.  I'm always enthralled with the color and shapes of the anthers in the center.  The blue seems to glow.  This is one tough plant.  It survives the heat and dryness of late summer and even comes back to mock the weed eaters and mowers by blooming just an inch or two above ground when necessary.  Be sure to click on the individual photos in order to enjoy the details.  Better yet, take a walk and check them out in person.

A healthy, well-watered Gumplant is a great sight (above) and this one shows how one can see fresh blooms and heads gone to seed on the same plant.  The photo below shows Gumplant surviving many mowings and the eventual drying out of the lawn.  It's blooming very close to the ground and is accompanied by some late-season Filaree, also a tough, late summer survivor.

Another roadside weed that I enjoy is the White Sweet Clover, Melilotus alba. 

The above photo shows a branch of Sweet Clover in full bloom and the photo below shows another branch on the same plant that has gone to seed.  Cute little pods.

Another plant adapting well to late summer harshness is the Yarrow.  In early summer it generally gets two to four feet tall before blooming.  This one has come back after the weed eaters and bloomed while less than a foot tall, and the blooms look even fresher than the ones I remember from spring and early summer.

I've said more than enough about Thistles in this blog.  I just think they're beautiful.  Think Artichokes!   Tasty thistles.

Last, a promised photo of a shrub bearing berries.  This is Choke Cherry doing quite well by the ditch on Quincy Junction Road.  Judging from the bare stems, the birds have discovered this one.

I thought I'd conclude this story with two posts, but there's more coming tomorrow.