Shoot the day you see the rabbit...er, worm

Went to the park on my own today as I am not up to struggling with leashes and excited pups (allergies). Still, I wanted a photo of the caterpillars. One of them almost posed yesterday - its markings like an alien face. Surely they would be snacking away on leaves and stems today.

The park cat was about 25 feet ahead of me as I walked along the road. She was not interested in company and ran off into the woods. As I neared the far meadow I heard the snorted warning and then saw the doe charge off to my left. I reflexively snapped a photo of the now empty meadow. I heard at least one more deer in the woods on the right, but the brush is still thick enough to provide cover.

I headed to the wafer ash saplings to see if the caterpillars were still there. They were not. So I decided to see if I could grab a few photos of the flowers along the road and hiding in the grass-a reminder that wildflowers are blooming almost all year long here - what a gift!

There were retrievers in the park as I left - robot dogs and a huge chocolate lab with its human. I felt a little guilty leaving Paddy and Scruff in the yard while I took even this short walk. Perhaps I will remember a camera in the future - avoiding guilty, lonely, largely futile walks.

Note I: I have struggled to identify some of the wildflowers. You can see the frustration noted below. I think I do best to just enjoy and use a common - close enough name, but I always am afraid a reader who wants more precision will be unhappy. If we need to, we can always ask my brother. He knows these plants down to the last leaf, petal and tiny root.

Note II: I reread this and noted the awkward "neared the far" above. It made me laugh so I am keeping it.

The road

These should be easy to identify due to the distinct petal, but three wildflower books later and still no luck (but that may be a lack of patience concerning the identifications found below).

Don't eat! These are some of the last fruit visible of the silver-leaf nightshade. This entire plant is terribly poisonous.

Small white aster-like flower. I have given up on identification..

Probably the common sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

Wild Verbena, (Of course, there are at least two kinds of these as well - Dakota vervain or Rose vervain, both of the Verbena family so Verbena is right)

Verbena almost hidden by the grass. Wildflower hunting challenging in grass-filled meadows.

Heavens! I just learned there are two remarkable similar flowers like this - probably more. (Dracopis amplexicaulis or Ratibida columnaris - coneflower or Mexican hat? Probably the latter as its blooming season is later. In the upper right hand corner is false ragweed (Parthenium hysterophorus), a very common wildflower we take for granted unless it is the only thing blooming.

I have no idea what this is, but I think it is lovely. I am sure it has wretched pollen.

Just noticed the crack in the trunk of this tree.

Wild seed pods of the purple leatherflower (Ranunculaceae Clematis pitcheri)

The devil (I need go no closer).

Clouds hid the sunrise