Spring 2019 in Missouri

It has been a very rainy season here in Missouri.   John and I rode our bikes yesterday on a path which normally would have taken us to Lakeside 370 park, a place where we use to bring our rv when we were in town.   Unfortunately, that park is now under water; paths and one road into it are now blocked off.  Spencer Creek and the Missouri river are over their banks.   A park ranger we encountered informed us that if we wanted to see the park, as it now appears, we should log into Facebook.

Despite the rainy days, we have also had some warm sunny days when we have been able to see the beauty of spring.  Blooming trees and flowers were that their peak when we took a hike two weeks ago.

At that time we hiked in the Shaw Nature Reserve out in Grey Summit.  The dogwood trees were in bloom, as well as many wildflowers.  Fortunately we had just started out on a trail when we met up with a lady who seemed very eager to share with us the names of some of the wildflowers.  And there were many which were unknown to us, as the leatherleaf plant which has white bell-like blooms.

 

We also were not aware that there is a dwarf iris which certainly looks like an iris, just a bit shorter

 We wished that the friendly lady could have continued walking with us, as there were many wildflowers the names of which we did not know.  What we did recognize was the columbine, Indian paintbrush, mayapple and buttercups.

What a beautiful park to visit at this time of the year!  Also, of interest in this park, along the Brush Creek Trail, is a sod house which the Nature Reserve park staff and volunteers built.  I have read of these huts, built on treeless prairies in the mid-to-late 1800s, but never had the experience of walking into one.  They are for sure cool during the hot summer months, but other than that I can see that they have their disadvantages! 

One other joy for me, besides seeing the park dressed in all of its spring glory, was meeting up with a lady from England.  She was here visiting her daughter who just had her second child.  We had much to share with each other regarding grandchildren.  Unfortunately she can only see hers about twice a year!  Something else we had in common were our travels through out the United States.