How to choose a motel

Last night we stayed at the Relax Inn in Kuttawa, KY.  We chose it for all the obvious reasons.  First, there was a meadow next to it.  Second, there were major power lines over the meadow.  Third, the meadow bordered a woods.  Makes sense, right?  Of course it's all about the collecting.  We hit the meadow first thing in the morning.  We started early because the forecast was for a heat index of 115.  Here you can see the meadow and the powerlines.

Beyond the bare baked earth was a diverse meadow ecosystem with some native prairie plants.  Possibly the area under the power lines is a "remnant prairie."  Remnant prairies are virgin, never plowed sections of prairie.  Almost all prairie has been farmed or developed.  But remnants remain, often under powerlines or between railroad tracks.  

Gentian

Daniel examines wild quinine (Parthenium  integrifolium)

(Helianthus divericata) rough leaved sunflower 

Here is what the meadow looked like in the thick of it:

Did I mention the heat index was 115 today?  Even at 8am the heat in the meadow was pretty brutal.  Let's start the day with heatstroke!