Dirt Road Flower Finds

The dirt road pictured above is in my neighborhood. It isn’t difficult to envision a horse and buggy coming along, wooden wheels a-whirring and harnesses jingling, with dust flying from hooves pounding the dirt.

I wonder if buggy drivers ever pulled the reigns and hollered “WHOA, Nelly” because of a wildflower sighting? Perhaps the sunbonneted female occupants of the rig would point and exclaim, “Oh, let’s stop……please, pretty please!”

Well, a buggy was not my conveyance last Sunday, and no bonnet adorned my head, but I pressed my vehicle’s brake pedal.….WHOA…..when wildflowers caught my eye alongside this dirt road.

Initially, this very noticeable patch of Ragwort---senecio plattensis, a member of the Aster family---brought me to a halt.

“Squaw Weed” is another name for this plant, which reportedly was used by Native American women for female health matters. Early white settlers used Ragwort in folk remedies, even though it reportedly is poisonous to humans and livestock. Yikes……but it surely is a bright and showy spring wildflower, regardless.

Next we have Starry False Solomon’s Seal. It certainly looks like a real plant, though. Its stem and leafing look similar to true Solomon’s Seal; though the flowers are not alike at all. Evidently, true Solomon’s Seal got its name from early settlers who noticed a Star of David design left when the stem is broken off at the root. I’ll have to check that out sometime. I have noticed a tiny Star of David design up inside the dangling flowers of true Solomon’s Seal.

Meadow Anenome……used by native peoples for treating wounds.

The remaining photos in this post are of flowers I had never seen before. They’ve most likely been growing here along this dirt road for many, many years.

This first one is Yellow Star Grass. It looks like grass with a 3/4” wide yellow flower attached at the top……what a pleasant surprise to find this! When I was searching for Star Grass online I stumbled upon a nice photo taken by a professional nature photographer in my area.

Growing near the Star Grass was another tiny flower which again looked like grass topped by dainty flower blossom. This one, I believe, is a type of Blue-Eyed Grass. What a lovely name, though they are actually a member of the Iris family. My Runkel & Roosa flower book states: Although called Blue-Eyed Grass, the color can vary from white to pale blue to darker blue. These seemed to have a very pale blue tone.

There were a few patches which looked truly white……

Here’s another tiny yellow flower that I almost overlooked, thinking it was Star Grass. I’m not sure what it is……its not in any of my wildflower books. It sort of resembles a Cinquefoil, which have five-petaled blossoms…..but this one has six. Whatever its name may be, its a darling little flower, that’s for sure.

In these final two flower photos, we have Dewberry…..at least I think that’s what it might be.

Sorry……I don’t have a macro lens…..

One end of the mile-long dirt road was rather rutty. Local yokels who are thus inclined sometimes use this tired old dirt road for “mudding”. My husband’s nephew took a couple of our kids along for such a ride here several years ago……his pickup was coated with mud when they returned. Great fun, yeah!

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Have a great day!

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