To the best of my knowledge, this is the whorl-leaved loosestrife - it’s name is bigger than the plant. Seriously! The petals are less than half an inch lengthwise and the entire plant stands about 4 inches high. I found some only a couple of inches off the ground. It is (I think) a member of the primrose family and is rare in our area. I’ve looked all over the internet and cannot find any photos that look exactly like this little guy. If any of you know more about it, I would really appreciate the info. Thanks so much for all the time you spend with my photos, I’m so grateful for all your comments & encouragement…. :-)) 05/26/19
Another Whorl-leaved loofestrife, found hiding under the grass. The sunlight seemed to be seeking it out, and coaxing it upwards… 05/25/19
This tiny native flower is the Whorl-Leaved Loosestrife (primrose family) and is popping up all over the Prairie, literally rising up out of the ashes. It is quite rare and it is growing in some very rare lichen, so it’s wonderful to see everything thriving after the burn. I wanted to include the remains of the burn in the photo, which meant spending considerable time crawling over the burnt ground & lying flat with my neck bent at a 90 degree angle trying to find & focus on these minute little plants - it really was loads of fun, felt like a kid again - until I tried to get up! Ouch.. then I felt my age, lol. 05/24/19