Observations

These days, Bidens or Spanish Needle is gloriously at peak bloom. This happy little daisy-like yellow Flower is impossible not to notice as the Summer wains into Fall. The Sun seems not so strong nor long now. Maybe that is why Nature turns up the Yellows in the Meadows.

Richard tells me the Plant goes by several names: Bidens, Beggar Ticks, Tickseed Sunflower, Spanish Needle. We like the names Bidens and Spanish Needle. Somehow Beggar is none too kind. The scientific name is Bidens aristosa. The plant produces 2 needlelike awns that attach themselves to any mammal traveling by. Hence, its names have some more meaning.

We find Bidens growing seemingly in 2 ways. We either find it in areas where it is alone with a single plant here and another there. Or we find it blooming in large prolific communities of many Bidens. The former produces Plants which are shorter. The latter produces Plants which seem taller, each trying to outgrow the other.

These 2 growth habits are found in 2 contrasting areas: in the Prairie areas which were likely undisturbed and in the Meadow which was formerly hayed and tilled. The single Plants dispursed across a larger area are found in the Prairie areas. The large communities of Bidens are found in areas which were disturbed.

We built a new garage almost 2 years ago. Although the Contractor was careful in his work, that project meant extensive excavation of the surrounding Soil. Bidens seems among the 1st of Prairie plants to return. I wonder if it is somehow protecting the Soil. I wonder if in some way it is preparing the Land for the return of the Native Plants.

I look into Missouri Wildflowers by Edgar Denison (2001, 5th Edition). This book, which is becoming a new found friend, tells us that Bidens likes wet places of prairies, waste places, ditches, roadsides, railroads (page 159).

There seems a reason to all the things that grow here. I hope we can still our loud and often self-centered Human Voices and listen quietly for the Voices of the Land.