Westward Bound

Version 1 Draft

Richard Rathe, April 2026 (History, Nature)

I was called to California for a family wedding. The first part of my journey took me through several southern states, the Florida Panhandle, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, New Mexico, & Arizona. I left about two in the afternoon so I arrived in Pitcher Plant territory after dark. Fortunately I knew where there was a patch just off the shoulder of a county road.

Roadside Pitcher Plants After Dark
Roadside Pitcher Plants After Dark

I slept in my car that night so I could get up early to visit one old site that had been closed and one new site in Mississippi.

Buttercup Flats
Buttercup Flats
Two Pitcher Plant Flowers
Two Pitcher Plant Flowers
Unidentified Orchid (I think?)
Unidentified Orchid (I think?)
Eastern Towhee (formerly Rufous-Sided Towhee)
Eastern Towhee (formerly Rufous-Sided Towhee)

More to come…


This is a slide!