Fig. 11. Flowering plants, including species of Silphium, Echinacea, and Cirsium along a Macoupin County, Illinois, farm access road in 1971. Patches of wildflowers were common along rural roads in the early 1970s, especially in hilly areas. In flat areas such as in Fig. 8, the space between the road and cultivated field was frequently narrow and likely to be mowed, making it difficult for flowering plants to mature.