Wildflowers flourishing along a tranquil Ozarkian trail. It was a blessing to enjoy this beautiful place where the sun kissed spots of the blue forest floor and only the sound of bird songs and soft wind whispered through the trees. The blue-eyed mary (Collinsia verna) and virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) thriving on the forest floor are both native spring ephemerals found throughout the central and eastern parts of North America.
A perennial catchfly native to central and eastern North America. The bright, fiery red flowers attract ruby-throated hummingbirds to pollinate them, and sticky sepals and stems on the plant act as a trap for small insects trying to climb up it, hence the name "catchfly" for plants in this genus. It prefers somewhat dry soils and part-sun, so it can be found on rocky slopes in open woodlands, savannas, and other similar habitats.
I found this fire pink growing in open, rocky woods near blackjack oaks and other drought-tolerant species.
Queer Takeover: Garden of the Gods is THIS SUNDAY on May 7th! QT is a quarterly event where a bunch of local gays just hang out and wherever in Southern Illinois and enjoy queerness in numbers. Swing by with your chosen family and enjoy the outdoors (hiking not required if you just want to sit and chat ;) )
Rainbow Cafe will be at Garden of the Gods from 2 to 5 PM, and like all QT events, it's ALL AGES and open to EVERYONE! Plus, this one in particular is also FREE! The weather for Garden of the Gods/Pope County is currently a high of 81° and low of 62°, mostly cloudy with a chance of scattered thunderstorms in the morning and overnight - ~43% chance of rain as of right now. The rain date is still May 21st BUT we are still planning on the 7th right now!