Frost Asters, 11/16 (Symphyotrichum pilosum)
Nothing much has been growing on the Greenway now that we’ve had the first frost. In fact, since they mowed the sides of the path way back in the spring, it’s been hard to find any wildflowers at all. It was good that they did something about the poison ivy that was taking over the sides of the trail, but in my opinion, they went too far. And on top of the mowing, they planted grass which is starting to make the Greenway look like a city park, instead of an area in which wildlife was allowed to thrive.
The politicians have done something else to the Greenway by protecting second amendment rights so stringently that any crazy nutcase in the state is able to buy a gun and murder whoever they want, including people they don’t know. Of course politicians make everything better by offering their thoughts and prayers to the victims’ families, while endorsing random acts of murder. This hasn’t happened on my Greenway yet, but it did in another city in the state, and right after that mass murder, (or maybe it wasn’t a mass murder because only three people were killed) there have been a few robberies where I walk. One woman was assaulted, raped, robbed and choked on the Greenway in 2019, but so far this year there was only one report of a woman being attacked while walking alone. She was able to fight him off before he could rape her, and he ran way, but I have been cautious about walking the trail, especially early in the morning, to check on the plants.
When I did go out, I saw a lone heron in the creek. Sources say that it’s probably a Great Blue Heron, which reside in the state year-round. The Great Blue Heron is the largest heron in North America. And while this bird looks more like a Snowy Egret, it would be strange to see one this far from the coast.
While I’ve been lax about documenting the wildflowers of the Greenway, I have visited the Middle East, and I photographed the wildflowers that I found there. I’m in the middle of researching these and hope you enjoy learning about plants that grow in another part of the world.
I do plan on researching Frost Asters, and will post my findings soon.
So, stay tuned and enjoy the flowers of Israel.