A Survial Story, Part 2

Referring to yesterday's report of the surviving milkweeds, I at least hinted that I don't like weed eaters wiping out my roadside natural history adventures.  I celebrate the triumph of weeds - in most situations, but not all.  As I was enjoying the milkweeds and the Red Milkweed Beetle, my son noticed bright orange light coming from some nearby piles of gravel.  We wandered through some other weeds - Chicory, Bachelor's Buttons, Thistles - to find a good-sized patch of Poppies, that Asian kind.  Brilliant orange, they appeared to be quite healthy survivors in piles of gravel probably being stored for road repair operations.  Another triumph of weeds over their enemies - us. 
As we headed off for camp along Quincy Junction Road, I expected to sail on by a stretch of roadside that had been seriously mowed a few weeks earlier and had remained brown and apparently dead until a few days ago.  I lamented that the crop of Madia I've come to expect there would not appear.  Then, last week, on my daily drive, I began to notice small hints of green poking up through the brown.  I didn't stop to inspect what sort of weed was forthcoming.  Well, on this morning, apparently after a good night of rapid growth, I spotted one flash of yellow.  I stopped to find a lone blooming Madia in a long stretch of dead brown grass.  Hope!   Then, a short distance further down the road we found a thriving crop of freshly blooming Madia.  I took lots of close-ups, one of which is posted above.  Three cheers for the hardiness of Madia.  Check them out early in the morning during low-angled sunlight.  Lots of photo possibilities with back lighting, interesting angles, bugs visiting, etc.  I could have spent the whole morning here in celebration, but I had to report to work.