I came upon this lovely bunching of little white flowers when Seth and I were taking a break from trying (without much success) to cut the fallen cedar out of the lake.

If my mad skills (non-existent) at identifying plants are correct, this is Achillea millefolium millefolium, a type of yarrow that is native to the great state of Missouri and perhaps specific to it. The Missouri subspecies can have rose-colored or even pink blooms, and if you look closely at some of the petals in the center of the image, you can see that they have streaks of color in them.

Achilles was said to use this plant to stop bleeding among his soldiers, thus giving the plant part of its name. If my mad skills in Latin serve me (only a little better than my plant skills) the millefolium part translates as "thousand flowers."

There is something in me that is partial to tiny flowers. Perhaps it is that they reward the little bit of effort you must expend to examine them. A big, goofy hibiscus flower is easy to see and appreciate, but tiny flowers like these ask for a bit more from you.

This specimen was growing on the south-facing slope, just up from the shore of the lake. The habitat is about perfect for it, so maybe I’ll see more.

Missouri calendar:

• Spiny softshell turtles lay eggs on sandbars and gravelbars.

Today in Missouri history:

• John Cummins Edwards was born on this date in 1806. He rose to be Missouri’s youngest governor up to his time, but his political fired burned out fast and he moved to California at the age of 42 to prospect for gold.

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