I saw this star chickweed just after crossing a stream
I took this photo of a star chickweed while out on a hike at Eagle Creek Park. It had been raining intermittently as I moseyed along the trail. When I took this particular photograph, the rain had just stopped. I was in one of my favorite places within the park having just crossed a stream that I grew up playing in with my brother.
To the right and the left, I was surrounded by flowers. It was August, and the air was warm and humid. The smell that was in the air was the familiar smell of new rainfall on a hot day. The earth was already soaking in the new precipitation because it hadn't rained in a few weeks.
This was the third group of flowers that I had taken photos of within a five foot span on the trail. There were Virginia spiderworts, daisies, and other flowers. The photo of this star chickweed stood out for me from all the others. With its many petals with pinched ends and a solid white throughout, this flower seemed unique.
The star chickweed stood out as unique
Star Chickweed Fun Facts
- Star chickweed are part of the carnation family.
- They are common to the eastern United States.
- The scientific name for star chickweed is Stellaria pubera.
- The stamen are typically brown or red, and not the white that is seen in this photo.
Bonus Story
Although my hike had been a pleasant one up until this point, it was about to take a turn for the worse. I was hiking along the trail with my dog, Landon. My absolute favorite part of Eagle Creek park is where the trail forms a natural bridge between a marshy lowland and a cove from the lake. At the north end of that bridge, you can choose to hike to the east to stay along the lake or continue to the north going up a hill.
I decided to stay along the lake hoping to see some birds along the water before reconnecting with the same trail at the top of the hill. Moments before we were to reconnect with the trail at the top of the hill, I suddenly felt a sharp pang resonating from my left hand. I knew the feeling immediately from an experience 12 years before. I was being stung by a hornet.
I had only been stung by hornets one other time. That day I had watched my good friend Kenny get stung four times, and then I proceeded to get stung four times as well. I remembered this in an instant and began to run to be away from the source of the hornets. I knew that they were going to keep coming until they were rid of me. By the time I got away and finished slapping the hornets off of me, I had been stung eight times. I was a good two miles from my truck, which led me to quickly turn around down the connecting trail to slowly make my way back. My left hand, which had been stung the most, began to puff up. It eventually stopped swelling, but it took nearly a full week for my hand to go back to a normal size around the sting!
The star chickweed was pretty the end of the hike was not
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