Sparse and not sparse

On that last visit to Illinois Beach State Park on June 14th I found this flowering spike of Lobelia spicata. Compared to the pale-spiked lobelia in the photograph at the Illinois Wildflowers site, this one seems sparse, but that’s the way it was. Not at all sparse there that day (or any other) were the pebbles on the shore of Lake Michigan.

© 2016 Steven Schwartzman