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The arrays of buds may be more attractive than the hairy flowers of this waterleaf. This little inchworm thought so. It might giveus a clue to which insects appreciate this species and pollinate it. It seemed interesting enough for a shot. But when one a little larger and a lot uglier flopped down onto my arm as I was driving home, it seemed a lot less interesting.

This species often grows in large patches that are very attractive.

Why don't more plants grow farther north? Both lyreleaf sage and fire pink seem to be offering examples. Cooler and shorter seasons or whatever, as you get to their northern limits you can see the effects. They just seem to lose enthusiasm. There were a lot of these blooming in southern Ohio yesterday. In that regard they were if anything, more enthusiastic than what I've seen in FL and GA. But the plants and their flowers were all smaller.

Here's another shot of wood rush at a slightly earlier stage. Wood rush was growing where I ran into those geocachers the other day. It occurs to me that geocaching has probably replaced orienteering. Orienteering was somewhat the same idea, but with those old fashioned things, maps and compasses. It was a lot of fun. I wonder if the Boy Scouts still have an orienteering merit badge? Hope so, some things shouldn't get lost.

For me, this was the cache. I went out to Ives Preserve to visit with these cancer-roots yesterday. There were a couple of others guys there. They were geocachers, and had just located a cache. They were from Woodville, Ohio. This was the second time I happened on geocachers out in the woods. The first time was near Morenci, MI. That couple was from Albany, NY. The hobby of competing to find hidden items looks like a lot of fun. And what a good and safe way to get out and about in these tough times!