Snapshot: Early Oct: Willow Leaf and Thistle

A touch of color and a night or two with nip suggest we may yet see a Fall.  And hasn't this been an odd season.  More rain than I have ever seen, with little Second-Spring editions, from Gardenias to Queen Anne's Lace, to Honeysuckle (in much smaller numbers) -- dotting the Indian Summer landscape.

The Most visible of the Early October flowers are the Yellow Tickseed, Willow Leaf Sunflowers, and Godlen Rod (see posts below) making for a truly golden brew.

(Picture of Purple thistle to come)

Snapshot, Week 27, July 5 -11 Summer Pow

Creype exposion

A rod weed before it goes into full chandelier-head excess.

Purple Thistle throwing fur.

.

My passion! (See earlier passion flower post)

After several weeks of little to show (too hot --or on the road) we return to Snapshots (July 5-11) with fewer but powerful offerings.

While many of of the field flowers have wilted or dried -- The Black Eyed-Susan's are toast, some flowers really take to the heat. Crepe Myrtles --in White, Pale Pink, Hot Pink, Grape, and dark Magenta --are like no year I can remember. (Nice thing about growing older; last year may have been as intense, I just can't remember;)

Purple Thistle

Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Carduoideae
Tribe: Cynareae
Genus: Cirsium





I do not yet know what species of thistle this is, though it belongs to the genus "Cirsium", which includes a wide variety of thistles. All pics, early June, 2005 Northern Arkansas.


(9/23/08) It would appear that this is Carduus nutans, or a "Musk Thistle." For a different variety of purple thistle see: http://idarkansas.blogspot.com/2008/09/purple.html




Variant Species (we have these here, but these are from Nebraska, July 05)