Evening Primrose Boardwalk

I like plants that are beautiful even in difficult circumstances.  It's been a tough year for many plants, but for some reason, Oenothera biennis, common evening primrose, has done well.  I took this picture a few paces from my temporary office in the trailer near the greenhouse.  The plant was growing up through a crack in the boardwalk that leads from the back door to the paved loop drive around the greenhouse.  I remember this plant as a child.  It grew tall, even in the semiarid conditions of Western South Dakota.  I often collected the abundant seeds and pretended they were coffee grounds.  Although it can be weedy, it is native, and it's a fun plant to watch in the evening since the flowers open very quickly at dusk.