The Chickory's in Bloom...

Cichorium intybus - chickory, to hillbillies like me. The story is that nearby Bluefield was named for the effect the flowers (some would say weeds) had on the hills around the city...

The chickory is in bloom at the moment, along with a number of other wild flowers. It is easy to find a ribbon of chickory lining the roads and highways of this part of Appalachia in July. Finding whole fields of it anymore is harder because the farming community turns the fields to hay.

You'll ocassionally find large patches of thistle this time of year, as well. The finches love the stuff. Below are a couple of other pictures of wild flowers I've taken this month...