Blue Spring is the 8th largest spring in Missouri and it has the deepest blue color of any of them. The average daily flow is 87 million gallons of cool, clear water. The site is part of a seventeen acre natural conservation area and thus relatively protected. Early Native American called it the Spring of the Summer Sky. The spring is 310 feet deep and its blue color is attributed to both the depth of water and dissolved minerals. The color can vary, even during one day, depending on any storm run off or angle of sunlight hitting the surface of the water.
The spring itself is smaller than you might imagine it to be. One would think just a couple of photographs would get it all in. But, oh no! A few feet in either direction with a camera changes the color a bit. We spent a fair amount of time there and I have a dozen of keepers.
The water comes all the way to the edge. The green plants are watercress and we saw those in almost all the springs we visited. The water is just unbelievably clear.
Found an a stump near the platform.
Seen along the half mile trail to the spring. It flew off right after I got my photograph. Notice the pink on the wing.
This represents what we find over and over in these wonderful places. At some point in the past a special person(s) sees the value in preserving sites such as Blue Springs and keeps it safe until it can be acquired by someone or organization that will guard it for future generations. We are fortunate indeed to have people like that among us today.