Bluebell Blooms Bring Back Spring

When I see Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica), I know that, despite the calendar date, Spring has truly arrived! Delicate new blooms Ephemeral spring beauty Look down. Don’t miss it!

Butterfly along Vertical Prairie

This little guy was hanging out on a green retaining wall planted with Missouri natives.

Desaturated Prairie

Here’s the last photo from my visit to Shaw Nature Reserve last weekend. Another prairie plant I’m unfamiliar with.  I suppose that makes it easier for me to mess with the saturation/contrast of the original then… The original. Let me know if you’re familiar with this plant species, genus, or family.

More Prairie, More Fall Color

One more photo from our trail walk at Shaw Nature Reserve on Prairie Day. I almost NEVER edit my photos beyond the occasional crop and resize.  The first photo, however, I thought Looked pretty good.  Here are both.  

Fall Bloomer in the Prairie

This was also in the prairie at Shaw Nature Reserve along with the Gentian (See previous entry).  It appears to be Slender False Foxglove (Agalinis tenuifolia), formerly known as Gerardia tenuifolia.  It is a beautiful native, late-season annual.

Prairie Gentian

Today was Prairie Day at Shaw Nature Reserve.  I learned how to use an atlatl, saw many cool exhibits, ate a bison burger, and took a walk through the prairie with the camera.   While the brutal drought is still evident throughout the region, the recent rains seem to be aiding in the fall bloom

Summer Day Hike at Shaw Nature Reserve

With a lull in the hot weather, we took a day hike today out at Shaw Nature Reserve.  Things looked crispy and dried up.  But, all things considered, the natives seem to be surviving.  Anywho, here are a few photos of our outing. Beautiful seed pods.  This is Baptisia, though the exact species may be False

The Yard: Golf Course or Natural Resource?

(This post was inspired by my experience in last week’s St. Louis Sustainable Backyard Tour.) It’s a summer Saturday morning.  You’ve slept in as late as you possibly could.  Light now infiltrates your window blinds and morning sounds prevent any more snoozing.  You listen to cicadas, melodic birds, a passing breeze in the trees–and suddenly

Shaw Summer

It’s the first day of summer and I volunteered again at Shaw Nature Reserve.  It got hot quickly, so I spent the morning doing a couple assigned tasks and then stopped for the day.  Anyway, I was near the demonstration rain garden in the Whitmire Wildflower Garden. Forget a cubicle; this should be my office!

Second Visit to Shaw Nature Reserve

I saw Shaw a couple months ago to find fantastic flora.  I returned today to find a different palette of color. Fields of Coneflower (Echinacea simulata?) Indian Pink (Spigelia marilandica) dotted the Whitmire Wildflower Garden.  Indian pink apparently grows rather easily in well-drained semi-shady areas.  Just another rewarding native for your gardening consideration…