At the beginning of last summer I worked for the K-State Herbarium collecting and pressing plants with Clair Nash, who came from Yuma, AZ to work on Konza Prairie for the summer. We collected through the rain, hiked miles to find rare plants, braved the thickets to reach the covered, wooded streams all other collectors tended to avoid. And in that quiet, lifefilled prairie, we found so much beauty. Since I bought my camera, it has replaced my plant press as my means of capturing this beauty (the collecting season having come to an end). This is a species of Aster (that I'll have to look up later) I found in September. Small, rather inconspicuous little plants. Most of my favorites are like these or still more subtle--one has to search a bit for them, beneath all the showy flowers, get up close and look hard to find their beauty. They are humble, quiet, but when one finds them, they catch the breath in surprise. They are astounding.

This is pitcher sage (Salvia azurea). A bit beat up. That's how it is with wildflowers sometimes. I wish I could carry the scent of this flower with me everywhere. When I come across it (and too, certain conifers), I always rub the leaves on my wrists so I can have it the rest of the day.

It's Kansas, so I suppose I have to post at leat one "sunflower" picture, right?

Another Aster. More to come soon.