I found these lovely flowers while walking out at Scott County Park last Saturday, on the Glynn's Creek Trail. The trail is mostly through woods, but one glorious stretch takes you past a tall grass prairie, and there they were.
Their lovely purple blossoms caught my eye immediately. They were tucked away everywhere in the tall grasses, and I went from blossom to blossom like a kid in a candy store, delighting over each one. They were so pretty!
I particularly loved over the whorled, two-tone petals on the not-yet-fully-opened blossoms.
These downy gentians (so-called due to the tiny hairs on their stems) are sometimes called prairie gentians. They are among the last flowers to bloom in the late summer, but as I think anyone would agree, they are well worth the wait!
The white and green stripes inside the blossoms helped me identify them. although it was hard to get a look inside as the bees were very busy collecting their pollen!
The name "gentian" comes the name of the ancient Ilyrian king, Gentius, who ruled beginning in 181 BC. He was said to have used this plant to treat a sickness among his people.
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