Grateful for Gratiola

A blooming Gratiola aurea - wow! I've only seen these flowers a few times despite it being a very common plant and having looked out for the blooms for a long time. It's also known as golden pert or hedge hyssop.

We see the leaves and stems everywhere, all over the lake, but seldom are we out and about at the same time as the flowers are. Small flying insects seem to find them attractive too.

Actually, when I say I've been looking out for them for a long time, I've actually only been aquaticizing (!) for 5 years, but I've seen so many unusual and uncommon things in that time, that missing something so ordinary and common on a regular basis seems weird. So proud of my 5 year certificate of involvement with the Lake Stewards of Maine 😃 - many of the volunteers have service awards that span decades, and I'm just starting!