Poisonous Beauty

Messing around on the railroad tracks, looking for Taylor Creek, I came across a really big bush of Poisonous Nightshade, or perhaps a kinder name, Purple Nightshade, being visited by one of my favorite beetles, the Checkered Clerid.  I'm used to seeing this beetle on other flowers, such as daisies and Checker Bloom, so this combo was quite a treat.  If you raise potatoes, tomatoes, or eggplant, this blossom should look familiar.  Even when the petals are yellow, as in the case of the vegetables, the overall flower shape is quite recognizable as belonging to the nightshade family, Solanaceae.  On this particular hike, I was looking for a rumored patch of Mountain Lady Slippers.  I didn't find them, but I found lots of other interesting things that will have to wait until my next post.
Meanwhile, my friend Spencer from Paradise came up to photograph some Quincy area wildflowers today.  Check out his beautiful results by going to Spencer Dykstra Photography and clicking on his blog in the right-hand margin.