IN THE FIELD: Roadside Beauties
A few weeks ago, I was on the hunt for spring wildflowers to photograph. I thought for sure I would find some Dame’s Rocket, as they are common in my neck of the woods and are usually found growing in unkept areas alongside roadways and in abandoned fields. Nope. None were to be found.
Finally, last week on an overcast morning, I saw a few plants in a gully alongside a back country road. It was a small grouping, but I was hoping to find more. I traveled down the road a bit further, and found a patch slightly larger than the first, but still not the scenic I wanted. Around the next bend by the edge of the woods was a stretch several car lengths long, filled with purple, lavender, and white wildflowers. Jackpot!
Dame’s Rocket have four petals, and are easily confused with a plant named Garden Phlox, which has five petals. And it can be hard to tell the difference when you are bolting down the road at 50mph. But if you take a moment to stop and look, you can appreciate the charm they add to a landscape often forgotten.
David Heilman 
Great shot as usual and your botany knowledge is just well…….wow.
Thanks T, my botany knowledge is nowhere near some other bloggers out there. Something told me to look this one up and to my surprise I had been calling it phlox all these years!
Lovely shot! Well Taken! =)
Thank you so much…it sure was a pretty sight!
I see the plants along the road but I thought it was phlox. Glad to learn the correct name. Thanks
I have always called it phlox also, but I have been corrected per multiple wildflower websites! It was a good year for them !!
Great shot, David!
Thanks Gracie, I think they are so pretty and they brighten up the landscape for a short time.
oh, the joys of spring! lovely shot.
Thanks Jane, it’s cooled down to more normal temps here. It’s a beautiful day and more like spring…ahhhhhh
What a beautiful roadside flowers… I loved them all… Thank you dear David, you are living in a dream land. Have a nice weekend, love, nia
Yes, they sure are pretty and it’s always nice to see them while driving. A nice splash of color!
What a beautiful scene! I just love coming across places like that!
It has been a good year for them and there are still a few patches here and there that are still holding on to their blooms. The really brighten up the roadsides and fields in the spring!
They are beautiful! I just love the purple colors!
Aren’t they pretty!! It’s really neat to drive down the road and see patch after patch of these. When they bloom, it’s all at once throughout the area!!!
Hi again – I have a ‘how to’ question, if I may ask. Have you ever needed your camera sensor cleaned (very dirty)? If so, what did you do, or what do you recommend? Thanks so much.
Hi Fergie, I haven’t had to get mine cleaned yet after 9572 shutter clicks…fingers crossed now…I found this link that and after reading some of it, I’m sure you will find it helpful…if not a bit overwhelming, but excellent info indeed!!!
http://www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com/index.html
Very pretty – cottagey – image.
Cottagey is a perfect way to describe these!!! I wonder if they transplant well….
Beautiful – definitely worth stopping for!
They sure are! The unfortunate thing is they only last 2-3 weeks and then they are gone. Sometimes they will re-bloom later in the season for another roadside treat.
I have admired these plants for years, David, but never knew what they were called. You’ve just solved one of Life’s Great Mysteries.
Same here John…I until I wrote this post I had always thought they were Phlox. In fact, most folks I have spoken with thought they were also! Amazing what we learn in this blogger world!