The Prairie Coneflower

The road to my home has a stretch that is a wonderful country drive. Each day, I am fortunate to observe its beauty. The trees both new and ancient, the deer, the rabbits, the coyotes, the cattle. The farmer working to care for his land. The simple beauty of all creation. I am treated to a showing of nature's art show each time I make this drive. There is one thing that has caught my attention above all these beautiful things. Where I turn off of the stretch of country road and onto the road that leads me home, there is this most magnificent prairie coneflower. This beauty is wild. It grows at the crossroads purely by happenstance. Only the randomness of nature itself has allowed me to witness her beauty.

Her petals are delicate like a daisy. She graces my eyes with a most vibrant shade of purple. No man can create such a hue, nor can he extinguish it. Her center is spiny and tough, well suited for the harsh prairie life. Although the spines are quite tough, they show a color that draws you into her beauty. The shapes and colors of the spines are so varied and intricate that you can never quite experience all the beauty she has to offer. Her stem is strong and stout. She can easily stand up against the most ferocious of Oklahoma's winds. Her beauty is stunning in every way.

Her beauty alone is not why I stop and gaze so often. Her perennial tenacity, her sheer force of will to exist as beautiful it was draws me in. There have been wildfires, tornadoes, and fierce hail storms. Errant cattle or dear have feasted on her delicate petals and even left their droppings on her ruined stumps. The winder storms have buried her in ice and snow. The county road plows have piled even more ice and snow on mixed with the sand and salt to clear the roads. A broken own old truck once sat directly on top of her for a full week until it was taken away. Despite all of these toils, she grows back every spring. She always returns, seeming more vibrant and beautiful than before.

This winsome prairie coneflower has brought magnificence to this crossroads for many years. She inspires me and delights me every time I get to see her. She will be here for many years to come, elegant yet strong for all those who can cherish her allure.