... but the clouds came again by quitting time.  I found this beautiful hibiscus in a pot by what looked to be an abandoned gas station.  Love the colors.
The traditional story of the Confederate rose says that it was in bloom during a particularly bloody battle of the Civil War. A slain Confederate soldier fell beside a rose and his blood spilled into the ground at the base of shrub. The flowers, which had started out white in the morning, absorbed the slain soldier's blood throughout the day, so that by evening they had turned a deep, rosy red.

Such a story pulls at the heart strings of a Southerner.  Many have ancestors that fought and died during "The War." In fact, tracing just one line on my family tree shows that eight brothers went off to war. Most were killed, dying on the battlefield or in prisons up north.  It is a cherished remembrance for many.

Texture by Kim Klassen Cafe.
In truth, the Confederate Rose is not a rose, it is a hibiscus from China.  Our climate in the South is apparently friendly to the growth of this beautiful flower.  They open white in the morning and grow to a deep red in the evening.
I'm so grateful for friends who keep an eye out for photo opportunities for me.  After my posting on Friday, a friend told me that she had a Confederate Rose bush in her yard.  I made my way there this afternoon after church.  It was so tall and beautiful.  Thank you, Margaret.
Swamp Rosemallow (Hibiscus grandiflorus)

These wild hibiscus are blooming in the marshy areas of Gulf State Park.  I love their frilly pink petals.
I found some huge bushes of domestic hibiscus in a ditch.  How'd they get there?  I think someone needs to go dig them up before the bushhogs mow them under.  Can you transplant an hibiscus in the middle of summer?

P.S. Can you see the outline of the green lynx spider on the back side of the flower?
Another beauty found on the side of the road - pineland hibiscus.
... but the clouds came again by quitting time. I found this beautiful hibiscus in a pot by what looked to be an abandoned gas station. Love the colors.
... but the clouds came again by quitting time.  I found this beautiful hibiscus in a pot by what looked to be an abandoned gas station.  Love the colors.
... but the clouds came again by quitting time. I found this beautiful hibiscus in a pot by what looked to be an abandoned gas station. Love the colors.
See photo in original gallery.