Beauty in Waste Places….

Years ago, when we did a lot of road trips with our kids, identifying wildflowers along the way became a sort of hobby. I had a glove-box sized identification book and when we'd stop for a picnic or bathroom break, we'd pick a few wildflowers nearby and then spend a little time with the book figuring out what they were. A way to help pass the miles.

I enjoyed it and got pretty good. Found flowers I could identify while driving from Chicago to Massachusetts, from Wisconsin to New Jersey. There were a lot of lovely spots of color in the landscape as we passed by.

At slower speeds, a walk in the woods or along a lake, we found additional wildflowers - changing with the seasons.

Now, living in Port Washington, Fenway and I take many of our daily walks along the Ozaukee County Interurban Trail that runs right past our condo. It's a bike/walking path - follow it through the whole county, north to south, and it will take you to Milwaukee and beyond.

I'm re-noticing a lot of wildflowers. Walking past pink, yellow, white. Some cat tails in one section, tall grasses waving in the breeze in others. Now, in August, beautiful Queen Ann's lace is in bloom, birds foot trefoil is a happy yellow down closer to the ground. Crown vetch spills out from the side of the path, and chicory and oyster plant. This morning I spotted common Mullein and butter-and-eggs and wild bergamot.  My Field Guide to North American Wildflowers states that these are the flowers you'll find in "disturbed spaces".

Glad to be walking the dog along these disturbed spaces - finding beauty as I go!