See the bonus coneflowers at Royal Gorge

I've written previously about the stand of pale purple coneflowers at Cave Creek Glade Nature Preserve near Vienna, Illinois.

This weekend I found another place to see coneflowers, this time in Missouri along Highway 21/72 at Royal Gorge in Iron County.

Several dense patches of coneflowers have grown in the right-of-way next to the highway. These can be easily viewed from the pullout on the north end of Royal Gorge and from the parking lot for the Ozark Trail, both along Highway 21/72 south of Arcadia.

This part of Iron County is beautiful on any season, but the coneflowers add some extra spice during June.

Directions: From Cape Girardeau, take Highway 72 west through Patton and Fredercktown to Arcadia. After crossing the viaduct at Arcadia, turn right twice to stay on Highway 72. Then drive 6 miles and look for the coneflowers on either side of the road. Parking is available at the Ozark Trail and at Royal Gorge.