Today was a great day at Government Canyon. It had rained a bit this week and I anticipated a burst of wildflowers but was disappointed again. There really isn’t much bursting forth going on out there this year. Last week’s Mountain Laurel has pretty much disappeared. I did find some clusters of Plains Blackfoot sometimes known as Rock Daisy. Anyhow, that is the identification I’ve come up with using my Wildflowers of Texas book. The scientific name is Melampodium leucanthum and it is a member of the sunflower family.
So, I am thankful to have seen some smatterings of Plains Blackfoot. Also, a few cactus were beginning to show an inclination to bloom. It has been several weeks now when it seems they have been poised to explode yet nothing until today.
But the cool thing about today’s hike—I saw a rattlesnake, and a fairly large one at that. It was on the Johnston Trail between the 7 and 8 markers and was making his way across the trail into the brush. I was able to capture a photo as he was disappearing into the brush. The rattle is distinctive. And it looked well fed. Click on the photo to get a larger view.
