neverspent | Riverbank primrose

This afternoon I went for a walk in a local park that's reached by crossing a pedestrian bridge over a small river that intersects the big river. The park is on a sort of peninsula created by the two rivers, and the riverbanks are all bordered by reeds below steep, sandy slopes. While walking next to one of these banks, I spotted some yellow flowers growing out of the side. I'd never seen them before, so I scrambled (actually slipped and slid in the sand) down to take a quick photo.

I felt like they were some kind of evening primrose, but the pointed petals were a puzzle. They weren't in my state field guide, so I had to find them online. I'm pretty sure they are Variableleaf Evening Primrose (Oenothera heterophylla) or sandhill evening primrose. Apparently they're only found in four states. Very pretty thing growing in such poor conditions! Impressive pistil. The only trouble is they were among some of the nastiest burrs we have, field sandburrs, and of course I got at least thirty of the little buggers in my socks, pants and skin as I was scrambling back up the bank. The more you move, the further they dig in!