I forgot all about this plant, since it has long ceased blooming and obedient plant, butterflyweed and blue lobelia have crowded the border and are demanding attention from the eye and the brain. The picture is from early July. The plant is about a foot high. The flowers, of which there are a few, sit […]
Archive for the ‘Flora’ Category
Spigelia marilandica (indian pink)
Posted in Flora, Plant bio on August 27, 2014 | 1 Comment »
Silphium perfoliatum (cup plant rosin weed)
Posted in Flora, Plant bio on August 27, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
I brought 3 of these plants home in April, after a visit at NEWFS Garden in the Woods in Framingham. There was not much more to go on than a few basal leaves and the attendant mentioning that “these” would get very tall. That was enough to intrigue me and I put them next to […]
Summer memories
Posted in Flora, Interesting on August 26, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
Hate to say it, but the summer is fleeting by quickly. Wetter than usual, and shorter than usual – that’s how I’ll remember it. It is not too soon to capture and post the moment. Before too long we’ll be reminiscing by the fire after shoveling out the driveway… Tall coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata), swamp milkweed […]
Aralia racemosa (american spikenard)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Plant bio on August 25, 2014 | 2 Comments »
I have had two Aralia racemosa (american spikenard) in an area that benefits from a bit more sunlight than does the rest of my tree covered woodland garden. Too much sun, I feared at first. The young plants did not do a whole lot of growing, that is until this year. While I thought I […]
Wool Sower Gall
Posted in Fauna, Flora, Interesting on July 1, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
This particular gall – the wool sower gall, is produced by a tiny wasp called Callirhytis seminator. There are many different types of galls but essentially they are all growths on various parts of plants, such as leaves, twigs, stems, roots, etc. They can be caused by flies, mites, moths, and gall wasps, but sometimes […]
Arisaema triphyllum (jack-in-the-pulpit)
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Plant bio on June 3, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
“triphyllum” is the defining feature of this member of the Arum family, as all you initially see is the tripartite leaves, of which there are only two. Last year one plant emerged with just a single leaf and I did not bother trying to identify what I was dealing with. Now I have three plants […]
Bloodroot – securing the next generation
Posted in Flora, Interesting on June 3, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is slowly but surely establishing itself in the woodland garden. Three little plants two years ago have become a smallish colony of 7 or 8. The flowers are still shortlived as they are easily destroyed by rain and wind, but whatever time they had to attract insects must have been enough. I […]
Trillium luteum (yellow wakerobin)
Posted in Flora, Plant bio on June 3, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
Trillium luteum is a native neighbor, as it naturally occurs in Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, and Kentucky. They are also found in the north (Michigan and Ontario), although they are regarded there as having been introduced. However, that northern location provided proof that they could withstand a harsh New England winter. Like other Trillium species, […]
Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper)
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Plant bio on June 2, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
I was quite surprised to see two of these plants in a narrow strip of woodland right near my house. I am not sure how rare these are on Cape Cod, or anywhere else for that matter, but there were only these two plants and I searched far and wide for signs of other moccasin […]
Caulophyllum thalictroides (blue cohosh)
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Plant bio on June 2, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
At this time the plants are still young and they have not gotten to the point of producing flowers and the signature blue berries. The two blue cohosh plants in the garden are hidden somewhat out of sight behind the stalks of asters and they are about a foot high. Eventually, in another year or […]