#Ozarks

[rebeccathenaturalist]

I'm always amazed at how many native plants have survived in my childhood neighborhood here in Missouri in spite of the prevalence of lawns and their related chemicals, plus general habitat degradation. I see Virginia springbeauty (Claytonia virginica) everywhere, on the fringes of wooded areas and stubbornly persisting in amid grassy yards that also sport non-native species like dandelions and henbit. It reminds me of the candyflower (Claytonia siberica) back home in the PNW, which is not quite as rebellious against the sterility of lawns, but will still elbow out space if given half a chance.

[rhythm-catsandwine]

If you live in Missouri, PLEASE! i beg of you! Go vote.

You may think we are a very red state, so it does not matter. But it does.

But there is amendment 3!!!!!!!!

Go fucking vote and end this abortion ban.

Find your location to vote. If you have to, tell your work you need to vote on the way to work or take the day off, even if it means you will skip a few meals. Skip dinner with family if you have to.

Just do whatever you have to do! Just fucking vote!!!!! It's one time that can change a lot.

Here in Missouri, the ban is harsh ......you can not get one even for rape or incest!

VOTE YES ON AMENDMENT 3!

I rarely ask this, but please reblog this!

[oliviarosaline]

Northern Cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis

Male

Shining in all his glory.

March 17th, 2024

Jefferson County, Missouri, USA

Olivia R. Myers

@oliviarosaline

[flowers-in-my-hair]

Anthony Chapel / Hot Springs, Arkansas

Design by Maurice Jennings & David McKee

[marandaright1]

Home in the Ozarks for Thanksgiving

This is just down the road

I walked down there nearly every day as a kid in summers. Spring water and COLD even when its 100 degrees. Is a neat spot. Has cactus growing right in a carpet of moss on top of the rock. And moss hanging in cedar trees. Lotta snakes tho lol. And seems armadillos love it. Saw 4 of them last time i was there.

[wandering-jana]

Hello there.

Lake of the Ozarks State Park, Missouri

July 2022

[givememtnspls]

Ozark National Forest, Arkansas

[pagan-stitches]

The “Good God” Bird

John James Audubon

“Pileated Woodpeckers were sometimes called “Good God Almighty,” or “Good God” birds for short, perhaps because this was a common reaction to seeing one of these large birds flying by. All parts of the woodpecker were once associated with magic, and some even said the bird itself was a witch in disguise. According to the folklore, eating the meat of the bird could heal a person of any ailment; others claimed it was bad luck to ever even harm one, let alone kill it. Even today, workers who specialize in magical rituals will use feathers and claws from the woodpecker. One healer I met had a preserved woodpecker mounted on a hat he wore during some of his rituals.”

—Ozark Folk Magic: Plants, Prayers, and Healing by Brandon Weston

“The great pileated woodpecker, rare in most sections of the country, is still fairly common in the Ozarks. Most Ozarkers call it a woodhen, but it is also known as “God Almighty” or “Lord God Peckerwood,” doubtless because of its large size; it looks like a big teal duck, or a crow. This bird is supposed to have some supernatural powers, and I am told that various portions of its body are highly prized by witches and goomer doctors [an individual who has the power to remove hexes, and disempower witches].”

— Ozark Magic and Folklore, Vance Randolph

From the Peterson Guide. My copy, inherited from my folks, has been to hell and back. I will forever be a Roger Tory Peterson gal, preferring illustrations with strong field markings to photos.

I’ll never forget the first time I identified the bird. I thought at first a crow was swooping over, but I’d certainly never seen a crow with white patches on its underwings. And neither of our local crows sounds anything like this:

[sophiologism]

i love the south. the ozarks and ouachitas, the piney woods, southeast texas, the mid-south, the lower delta, cajun country, the cumberland plateau, the deep south, new orleans, central appalachia, the smokies, the piedmont, the gulf coast, chesapeake bay, the south atlantic plain, the outer banks, the carolina beaches, the lowcountry, all of north florida… i just love it here and i love being from here. i love how diverse an area it is with so many different cultural identities and yet we all have solidarity due to common struggles and experiences. it has a lot of issues, and we as southerners have a lot of work to do, but i’ll never give up on us and our home.

[rebeccathenaturalist]

So I went on a phenology walk at Ozark Audubon today. We were mainly looking for any flowers that might have survived the freeze a few days ago, but we found some other neat stuff, too. This was one of the coolest! Look closely at the end of the branch--you can see where it has been neatly carved away, and then snapped in the center after the branch died.

That's the work of the female twig girdler (Oncideres cingulata), a species of longhorn beetle found in the east and midwest United States. She girdles the branch of a hardwood tree, lays her eggs in the branch, and then after it falls the eggs hatch and the larvae feed on the dead wood.

[sunbegotten]

[src: sunbegotten]

[covrettcreative]

Resting Place

Seen near Jasper, Arkansas.

[oliviarosaline]

Wildflowers flourishing along a tranquil Ozarkian trail. It was a blessing to enjoy this beautiful place where the sun kissed spots of the blue forest floor and only the sound of bird songs and soft wind whispered through the trees. The blue-eyed mary (Collinsia verna) and virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) thriving on the forest floor are both native spring ephemerals found throughout the central and eastern parts of North America.

April 17th, 2023

Washington County, Missouri, USA

Olivia R. Myers

@oliviarosaline

[scholarofgloom]

[j27y]