Bona Dea Plants Update

Bona Dea received very little rain in the past 2 days. Most of state got more than around here. I was walking at the park on Sunday, 10-24-10, and saw some unusual wildflowers and then went to my vehicle and got the camera. The leaves on the trees around here have not really turned real pretty this year so far. But the sumac bushes never fail to provide their brilliant red shine. This bush,photo, is a Smooth or Scarlet Sumac. This one was by the Dike that separates Lake Dardanelle from Bona Dea Sanctuary. The photo showing the red spike flowers which look like firecrackers is called a Lady's Thumb. By the Pumping Station. If you enlarge the photo and look at the leaf in the middle of the photo and then look at the middle of the leaf and you w ill see a dark spot. People of long ago thought this looked like a lady's thumb and hence called it such. Kinda interesting don't you think. The photo with the small yellow bloom is a Common Purslane wildflower. By the Pumping Station. This bloom had actually closed up but when opened would have 5 petals. The plant this bloom was on is here too. The photo showing the pinkish spider shaped blooms is a Blue Mistflower wildflower. The actual color to the naked eye is a solid light blue. Other photos I have seen on the internet shows a pinkish color. But this was a small patch of flowers, photo, seen only at this spot by the Pumping Station. .