Pentax Optio for wildflowers

After living in the Chicago suburbs for nearly three years, I am nearly convinced that the earliest humans to inhabit this area placed a curse on the night sky. Every time the calendar says "new moon", the sky says "rain". I'm not sure if those early folks had astronomers of the distant future in mind, but it happens often enough to make me suspicious. This week is a case in point - rain, rain and more rain. In most locations, it begins to rain as soon as you bring home a new telescope. Around here, it begins to rain if you even think about a new telescope. (I hate to think what might happen if I try to buy a solar telescope.)

Don't get me wrong. I've come to appreciate all the wonderful things Chicago has to offer and, yes, I will admit that many of my notions of what to expect before I arrived were just plain wrong. Folks around here have done a wonderful job of preserving natural areas and for that I will be ever grateful. Despite all the traffic and congestion, I can be alone in the woods or prairie with all my birds and flowers in less than 15 minutes. Just wish I could get everyone to turn off the lights on those few nights when the sky is clear and the stars shine in all their glory (okay, the few bright ones that get through).

In the meantime, I have begun to take a few pics of early flowers along the bike trail. Got this one with my little Pentax Optio A, which continues to please me with its color saturation. As you can see from the pic, the Blue Violets don't mind the clouds and rain. Guess that's why it is the Illinois state flower.