Prairie Sunflowers

While they may bloom from June to September, prairie sunflowers are to a greater extent than oft than non most abundant as well as conspicuous inwards August.  Native to the High Plains, clumps of these wildflowers adorn about every highway as well as province route inwards Eastern Colorado; since they favor total Sun as well as sandy soil, prairie sunflowers convey spread throughout most of the West as well as much of the Eastern U.S., wherever such weather condition exist.

These mutual annuals may await a chip scraggly where they point an abandoned plain only tin create stunning swaths of gilded inwards to a greater extent than favorable areas.  Their seeds are consumed past times small-scale mammals as well as a broad multifariousness of grassland birds as well as convey been used past times humans likewise (either inwards whole split or churned into a butter).

Prairie sunflowers are sure enough amidst the to a greater extent than widespread wildflowers on the Great Plains as well as are specially appreciated when the intense summertime Sun has baked away most of the greenery.  To me, they correspond the vanguard of tumble splendor.

Tarkiln Bayou Save Pose Down Park

On our agency out of Pensacola, Florida, this morning, my married adult woman in addition to I visited Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park, southwest of the city.  The Preserve's 4200 acres stretch due east of Perdido Bay, occupying (and expanding) the old site of the Perdido Pitcher Plant Prairie.  Known for its orchids in addition to carnivorous plants, the refuge is accessed via a network of earthen trails in addition to boardwalks.

Short on fourth dimension in addition to de-energized past times the heat, nosotros settled on the Tarkiln Bayou Trail (1.5 miles roundtrip), which leads southwest from the parking lot on State Route 293.  This paved walkway kickoff crosses a woodland of slash pino in addition to saw palmetto in addition to and thence snakes atop boardwalks where pitcher plants (primarily of the white-topped species) abound inwards the shallow wetlands.  The trail ends on the due east shore of scenic Tarkiln Bayou, which is surrounded past times tidal marsh in addition to empties into Perdido Bay.

This State Park is named for tar kilns, locally used inwards the 1800s to procedure pino tar that was collected from southern yellowish pines (commonly known equally slash pines); the tar was used primarily past times the transportation manufacture but besides inwards the production of soap.  While the refuge is abode to an first-class diverseness of wildlife, nosotros encountered exclusively ospreys, red-headed woodpeckers in addition to eastern towhees on this hot August morning.

Austin's Botanical Gardens

During our view to Austin, Texas, nosotros had the pleasance to view the city's 2 botanical gardens.  The Zilker Botanical Gardens stretch across the Colorado River hills only due west of the downtown area.  Relatively minor but attractive, this save mingles a natural ecosystem amongst native plantings, historic structures in addition to a diverseness of H2O features.  Access is via a network of paved in addition to earthen trails, bridges in addition to stone stairways.

Much larger in addition to nationally famous is the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center (also known equally the Texas Botanical Gardens), southwest of the key metropolis area.  It likewise offers a mix of natural habitat, plantings in addition to historic structures in addition to is a middle for educational activity in addition to horticultural research.  The extensive, apartment landscape is accessed yesteryear several miles of paved in addition to unpaved trails.

More than peaceful destinations for observing in addition to photographing flowers, modern botanical gardens oftentimes innovate visitors to plants from across the globe but focus primarily on regional flora.  Emphasis is placed on both educational activity in addition to conservation in addition to attentive patrons attain appreciation for evolutionary adaptations inwards the establish public in addition to the vital roles that plants play inwards our natural ecosystems.  For birders, botanical gardens, amongst their wide array of establish life, e'er attract an first-class diverseness of species. 

First Flowers

Returning to Colorado, I flora clumps of deep-blue Scilla siberica adorning sun-exposed areas of our Littleton farm.  These showy bulb plants are ever the showtime flowers to look on the property, frequently blooming past times mid February.

Native to southwest Russian Federation too eastern Europe, this wildflower is commonly known every bit Siberian squill (though it is non native to that region).  Now planted inwards gardens across the globe, scilla readily naturalizes past times both seed too bulb offsets, producing carpets of blueish inwards woodlands too fields alike.  These wildflowers favor full-sun too well-drained soil but accommodate to a diversity of conditions.

By belatedly March, Siberian squill, grape hyacinths, dandelions, wild ruby-red shrubs too apricot trees are all unremarkably blooming on the farm.  Due to extreme mutual frigidness too heavy snowfall inwards belatedly winter, however, restrict coloring fabric is good behind schedule this year, making the beautiful clumps of scilla peculiarly welcome.

Golden Currant

Golden currant is a small, drought tolerant shrub native to western North America; it has too teach naturalized across almost of the U.S., excluding the Southeastern States.  Its loosely-branching, woody stems behave lobular, maple-like leaves; inward early-mid boundary (depending on peak too latitude), clusters of fragrant, tubular yellowish flowers appear, attracting hummingbirds, orioles too a multifariousness of pollinating insects (including monarch butterflies).

On our Littleton farm, nosotros bring several patches of golden current; favoring partial shade, they mingle alongside chokecherry, lilacs too other shrubs inward our woodland borders.  Blooming over the past times week, the flowers volition yield modest blue-black berries past times early-mid summer, consumed past times a host of songbirds too modest mammals; humans too savour currant berries, using them to brand jams too jellies.

Like almost plants on our farm, these natives ask no irrigation or maintenance.  Better yet, they to a greater extent than than compensate for the infinite they occupy, offering beauty too attracting many wild visitors.  Over time, those visitors volition provide the favor, spreading the plant's seeds to other areas of the property.

Yellow Sweetness Clover

Perhaps due to our moisture spring, stands of yellowish sweetness clover are peculiarly large too vivid along the Front Range this year.  That fact, combined amongst questioning from a friend, encouraged me to await into the beginning too nature of this plant.

Native to Eurasia, yellowish sweetness clover is a legume too non a truthful clover.  It is a biennial plant, having a two-year life cycle; during the start twelvemonth it is low-growing too flowerless while, inwards its minute year, it produces branching stems, upward to 6 feet tall, adorned amongst racemes of small, yellow, fragrant flowers.  The latter, which bloom from June to September, yield seeds that may survive feasible for upward to 35 years if atmospheric condition for germination are non ideal; for that reason, yellowish sweetness clover is oft invasive inwards areas amongst poor, dry out soil.  A deep tap root too makes the constitute drought tolerant and, similar other legumes, sweetness clover improves reach down character yesteryear adding nitrogen to the reach down through its root system.

Known to furnish large amounts of nectar for honeybees, yellowish sweetness clover has too been used to stabilize soils too to furnish nutritious provender for livestock.  However, this constitute contains coumarin, an anticoagulant used inwards the production of warfarin too rat poison; low-coumarin subspecies convey hence been developed for purpose inwards hayfields too pastures. 

Eagle Bluffs Later The Flood

For the starting fourth dimension time since mid spring, I visited Eagle Bluffs Conservation expanse in addition to was able to access the entire refuge.  The extensive flooding that had long persisted across the Missouri River floodplain has lastly receded.

Dense fog enveloped the refuge when I starting fourth dimension arrived simply the belatedly August Sun chop-chop broke through the haze, revealing a rich light-green landscape, adorned amongst numerous stands of rose mallow.  Despite the inviting scenery, birdlife was relatively sparse, dominated yesteryear large flocks of turkey vultures in addition to virtually 50 great-blue herons.  While a few red-tailed hawks patrolled the floodplain, bald eagles were non observed and, to my dismay, shorebirds were express to killdeer in addition to lesser yellowlegs.

While it was far from the best birding excursion of the year, it was rewarding to re-explore the entire refuge, most of which was submerged for the yesteryear 2 months.  The resilience of found in addition to creature life was inspiring to detect in addition to the flood's express effects on Eagle-Bluffs roadways in addition to levees was remarkable.  Though my catch to Missouri volition live relatively brief, I promise to furnish to this fabulous refuge inwards the fall, when hordes of migrant waterfowl descend on the floodplain.