When Birding Gets Tough...

...the Tough Look at Flowers?

The last several days have been very rainy/stormy here in the St. Louis area. (Oh, how I miss the blue skies of the desert!) I haven't yet figured out how the birds respond to the local weather patterns and the birding has been a little off (or maybe, I'm a little off!) So, when the birds were slacking a bit the other evening, I went about photographing wildflowers. Just wanted to share my finds...

Partridge Pea

Purple Aster

Jewelweed
(this is, like, the best looking weed I've ever seen!)

Pale Touch-Me-Not

Every American Goldfinch's dream flower, the Purple Coneflower

And just cause I appreciate the life cycle of every living creature, here is a dead Coneflower. Kind of goth, don't you think?

FYI, did you know that Missouri has more native species of orchids than Hawaii? Hawaii has only three species of wild orchids, while Missouri has 35! Wow!