My daily morning walk takes me past this stunning scene of woodland flowers. The color in this photo, of course, does not bring out the brilliance of the flowers' blue/purple color. Plus, this section is maybe a quarter of the area with these beautiful native wildflowers. The size of the patch and the bright color of the flowers are what make it truly stunning.
American bellflower (Campanula americanum) grows along the edges of Kansas woodlands. Many, many different species exist in the Campanula genus, including non-native and cultivated species. A number of other flowers that you can find in nurseries also are related to campanulas, but fall into a different genus -- such as Platycodon grandiflorus, Chinese bellflower or balloon flower, that grows in my flower bed. This is the only Platycodon specie.
I hope to someday find the native bellflower for my gardens. For now, though, I must be satisfied with this beautiful woodland scene, which has bloomed for weeks.
It seems to me that most woodland flowers native here are blue/purple, such as woodland phlox, aka blue wood phlox, and sweet william phlox (Phlox divericata) that brightens Eastern Kansas woods in the spring.
May your life be filled with such beauty.
