My First Frost Flower!

A friend at UUBN brought Frost Flowers to my attention several years ago.  They are created from the ooze, a kind of sap, from several plants, one of which is White Crownbeard (Verbesina virginica).  But the miracle is this:  My friend gave me two White Crownbeards which I planted in the spring and they did fine all summer until last week  I noticed they were gone, probably due to a critter finding them to be a delicious treat.    

But today, while taking a walk I found a Frost Flower on the site of the eaten plants.   No plants -- but a beautiful miracle of nature.  

Turns out the flower is formed through the root and a very small stem which sometimes may not be visible.   

A Nice Day in Pontiac, IL

We drove up to Pontiac today to check out the Amtrak station because when the girls are here over the holidays, we are going to ride the choo choo from the new Uptown Normal Multimodal Transportation Center to Pontiac, a mere 45 minute ride.  We wanted to check things out so Little Red Car had an outing on a beautiful autumn day.  

Oompa checking schedule

Just like at Six Flags!

Meema posing for a picture.
  Sign is about Jesse Fell.  
He planted 
many trees in Pontiac
 just as he did in Normal.

What a beautiful courthouse!