Behold, a host arrayed in white ...

You don't hear that old Norwegian Lutheran hymn (Den store hvite flokk) much down here in the south of Iowa, where Norwegian Lutherans are kind of scarce, but it whistled me down the path at Pin Oak Marsh yesterday where fields of penstemon digitalis (aka beardtongue, white foxglove, false foxglove, etc.,) were blooming.

I think the last time I actually sang it --- a solo performance in church with Cyndy at the organ --- was many years ago at the funeral of an unfortunate guy who experienced the great misfortune of being run over by his own motor home. This was better.

The marsh ponds are fully charged after bountiful spring rains --- and sporadic Chariton River flooding --- so it's a pleasure to walk there again after last summer's drought. All those shifts in water level, however, apparently drowned out the nests of Canada geese and duck varieties that usually nest here, so there were only militant red-wing blackbirds and a variety of warblers to keep me company.

There were field daisies here, too --- blooming in a spot or two where the prairie grasses were not yet waist high, and varieties of milkweed, too.

But the overwhelming color scheme was green, with a little yellow to add contrast ...

... blue flags, picking up the colors of the sky  from their position knee-deep in marsh water just off the trail  ...

and the pink of crown vetch --- an invasive non-native plant that's pretty anyway.