We entered the Natchez Trace Parkway near Mathiston and headed south. The trees formed a natural canopy, making it seem cool, though it was probably just the air conditioner. It would be a lazy, easy drive at 50 mph.
Traffic was sparse, almost nonexistent. Two tawny-colored does jumped out from a thicket and crossed the road. A ways down the road we saw what first looked like three turkeys surrounded by crows. As we got closer we both squealed, “Baby turkeys!”
There must have been a dozen scratching around at the edge of the tree line with their mothers. We spent the next few miles trying to remember what you call baby turkeys.
Sam asked, “Is it a pod?”
I couldn’t remember. I was scanning the brain files that seem to scan more slowly these days. Then, “Poults,” I said. “I think they’re called poults.”
On down the Trace, Sam pointed to another gathering of fowl. I jumped with excitement then settled back, “Just buzzards.”
Sam laughed, “Well, vultures actually, there are no buzzards around here.”
“I wonder why we call them buzzards?”
Neither of us knew. Then there was thoughtful silence, taking in all the splendor of nature.
For a few miles we were in woodlands, then fields of tall grasses; a few crop fields didn’t seem to be faring well in the harsh, hot sun. Every so often there were wildflower plots with butterflies hovering.
A tall, thin flower with yellow blossoms was prevalent. I learned later it was called Beggar Ticks or Stick Tight or Tickseed Sunflower, not to be confused with Coreopsis which can also be called Tickseed, nor the flower Desmodium which is commonly known as Beggar Lice, Tick-trefoil, Tick Clover or Hitchhiker, and whose color is a bluish purple.
It’s no wonder that gardening can be baffling. “All About Mississippi Wildflowers” by Jan W. Midgley guides one through identifying our state’s wildflowers. The Beggar Ticks can be identified by seeds that are present at the same time as the flower. The manual says flowers are often seen on roadsides, as they were that day on the Trace.
The flower stands 3 to 5 feet tall. The stalk is thin so that it blows in the breeze, scattering all those beggar ticks seeds on roadsides, in wet ditches, fields and meadows and marshes where they thrive and perpetuate themselves. The flowers are typically fall bloomers and will continue until frost. So there should be plenty of time to see them.
One can collect the seeds, but be aware there are tiny barbs, a dispersion method, that grab onto passersby and can be a bugger to remove from socks and pant legs, as well as dogs’ fur and passing critters.
The nectar of the yellow flower attracts butterflies. The largest numbers of butterflies can be seen after 10 a.m. when the sun has had time to warm the insects’ bodies and the butterflies are most active.
As Yogi Berra always said, “You can observe a lot by watching.”
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