Columbia Bottoms Sunflowers #shotofshots

A beautiful sky was promised and so we headed out for a north county adventure. Stopped in at Ruiz Mexican the oldest Mexican Restaurant east of the Mississippi. We ate outside on their delightful patio. Just as we finished the last bit of tasty guacamole, storm clouds began to gather and the temperature dropped. That was our cue to continue on toward the sunflowers. We drove through a few heavy downpours but everything passed us by the time we arrived at The Columbia Bottoms Conservation Area. Located at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers it is a birders paradise which is why the sunflowers. They are planted in great swaths at 10 day intervals, so that there are plenty of blooms to be seen. These flowers provide food for many species of pollinators and birds. We saw many fat red wing blackbirds, bumble bees and a blue bird, Missouri’s state bird. -Lucie