Official notification, code yellow

My research informed me that this is a "Swamp Sunflower," and also a binomial nomenclature name that would choke a goat. We always called 'em Black-Eyed Susans. There's also a spring flower we also called a Black-Eyed Susan. As kids, the scientific identification was not important. That is until you got to Miss Buchanan's biology class. Then it became a matter of survival if you wanted to avoid an F.

Click on the flower for Corndancer dot-com.

The pleasant days of early fall are on us here in LA (Lower Arkansas). Waking up to temperatures in the fifties has forced us to haul-out long sleeved shirts wrinkled after a long summer in a crowded closet. By noon it’s time to change to short sleeved shirts.

We take a look at the wood pile still depleted from the last throes of winter. The season is right before changing. There are things to do — one of which is to take a look at the Photo of the Week Page at Corndancer dot-com where this epistle started. See some more flowers and read observations on seasonal changes. We’ll wait here while you look.

Here in LA, we have a litany of seasonal wild flowers which are predictable reminders of our seasons. Late September and October are good months for a lot of yellow flowers that are announcing the arrival of fall. In a few weeks, we will experience the first frost. By then, most of the flowers which grace our roadways will have started to fold their tents, wilt, and disappear into the brown camouflage of dropped leaves.

See more flower pictures in our Weekly Grist Gallery

This flower's neighbor has already "gone to seed." The bloom you see won't be far behind.The blossom is probably not much more than a half-inch across. It has already dropped a couple of petals. As nature takes her course, we will see the progeny of this flower next year, "Lord willing and the creek don't rise."

See more flower pictures in our Weekly Grist Gallery

This critter is taking advantage of a food source which will dissapear in a few weeks. When the flowers return, so will she. Unlike honeybees, these varmints can have a nasty temper and the means to make you regret your meet up.

These flowers are creeping onto a gravel road right of way. You can see the results of a few stray bits of gravel inflicting some damage. Whoever thought about flowers being tough? These are.

Looking squarely into the sun on a muddy gravel road during a rain. Not an unusual set of circumstances in LA (Lower Arkansas).

 Mother Nature’s flowers serve as a colorful calendar and a reminder that the hand of a Higher Power at the helm. The calendar does not ring or ding. It doesn’t send an email. You don’t have to buy it. You don’t have to tack it to the wall. You don’t have to flip the pages.  This calendar carries no commercial message and it is on full automatic operation. All you have to do is look.

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SEE MORE FLOWERS
in our Weekly Grist Gallery

See a few more flowers and some shots in a late summer thunderstorm that blew into Lincoln County just as I was leaving. It was a short-lived gully washer and a welcome relief. Click and go.

Thanks for dropping by,

Joe Dempsey
Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind

http://www.joedempseyphoto.com/
http://www.joedempseycommunications.com/
http://www.corndancer.com/joephoto/photohome.html