BEAUTY IN SMALL PACKAGES

BUTTERCUP FLOWERS

TIMOTHY FLOWERS

LANCED-LEAVED PLANTAIN...

...FOWER

Monday, 8:30 AM.  52 degrees F, wind calm.  the atmosphere is foggy, misty and overcast and the humidity is  97%.  The barometer is up slightly at 30.00".  It feels like April, or late October.  But on the whole a welcome change from the high temperatures of the holiday weekend.
   Eva and the grandkids and dog Ronnie are heading back to Denver this morning.  We had an exceptionally nice visit and wish them a good trip home and a great ret of the summer.
   The buttercup is a welcome addition to the roadside flora, its bright yellow, waxy flowers adding a note of cheerfulness to even the most ordinary ditch.  The one pictured is Ranunculus acris, in the buttercup family, the Ranunculaceae.  It, like many roadside plants, is naturalized from Europe.
   Timothy is a common pasture grass, also of Old World origin.  I find its wind-pollinated flowers quite beautiful.
   Plantains, both native and introduced, are common to disturbed areas.  In fact the common plantain (not pictured) is called "white man's foot," so prevalent was it in areas disturbed by early setters that Indians gave it its common name.  The plantain pictured is Plantago lanceolata, in the plantain family, the Plantaginaceae. The Latin family name also refers to the "foot," because  these plants all have spreading basal leaves which are the 'foot" of the plant. I find its thimble-shaped flower head with a cap of radiating pistillate flowers quite charming.
   Beauty often comes in small packages.