White where you’d expect purple

I’ve observed that purple wildflowers sometimes have natural white variants. When I stopped along FM 2769 in far northwest Austin on September 15th to photograph some purple flower spikes of Liatris punctata, known as gayfeather and blazing-star, I noticed that one plant had white flowers, probably the first I’d ever found in this species. The stamens, however, were purple.

And here’s a thought for today: “A house is no home unless it contain food and fire for the mind as well as for the body.” — Margaret Fuller Ossoli.

© 2020 Steven Schwartzman