Trail of Flowers - July 8, 2007
 Ferdinand wanted to smell the flowers but this guy wanted to eat them. |
I had taken my camera along on a recent hike up the Flat Top Trail in the Moses Cone Park, and planned to take some photos of the flowering plants along the way. However, the first thing I spotted was a large black bull. I immediately thought of a story I had heard as a child about Ferdinand the bull. Ferdinand preferred sitting under a cork tree and smelling the flowers to running and butting heads with the other little bulls. It's a story with a message about being true to one's self and not going along with the crowd. If you would like to read an illustrated version of The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf, click here. |
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The trail has both wooded and open sections. A mile up the trail there is a large meadow with lots of wildflowers. Occasionally we have seen deer and wild turkeys there as well. Some of the flowers look familiar like Black-Eyed Susans and Daisies. Even common clover blossams add their spash of color (and nectar for bees).
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 The trail passes through a large meadow. Frieda is running too fast to bother with flowers. |
Further up the trail back into a wooded section, the nature of the plants changes from what is seen in the meadow. There was a great abundance of Rhododendron plus other colorful flowers.
 Turk's Cap Lilly, one of Nature's masterpieces. |
My favorite is the Turk's Cap Lilly which is like an orchid in that the blossom hangs inverted. The structure of the blossom is amazing; all for the purpose of attracting insects to assist in the pollination process.
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No matter where you take your walks, take time to observe things of beauty and interest along the way.