Back To The City Of The Century

Like a Salmon returning to it's birthplace, I spent part of the day today in a city that I love (no kidding) - the city where I was born - Gary, Indiana. My visit did not include spawning, however.

Extremely good native plants abound there, as Scott so eloquently pointed out. In a low, sandy meadow I found the following good things, among many others. The first, Blue Hearts, is noteworthy for being the plant that brought together two botanical legends, Floyd Swink and Julian Steyermark. You can read about them here and here.

Buchnera americana (Blue Hearts)

Bromus kalmii (Prairie Brome)

Lilium philadelphicum (Prairie Wood Lily)

Lilium philadelphicum (Prairie Wood Lily) and Green Metallic Bee