The common name of this natively European plant comes from an old tale about Queen Anne, a fervent lacemaker, who pricked herself on a needle, causing a drop of blood to fall on the lace. The flower structures of the plant are very much lace-like. In some of the flowers there is indeed a tiny […]
Archive for the ‘Flora’ Category
From the non-native dossier: Daucus carota (queen anne’s lace)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Invasive, Plant bio, Recipe on July 21, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Summer meadow interlude
Posted in Flora on July 19, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Monarda didyma (scarlet beebalm)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Interesting, Plant bio, Tips on July 13, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I know my woodland garden is entering a new phase when the beebalm starts blooming. Summer and humid days are here, the canopy above is much more stingy with letting light through (even the caterpillar damaged twigs are sprouting new leaves), and lush growth is all around. At the same time days are getting noticably […]
From the non-native dossier: Lysimachia nummularia (moneywort)
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Invasive, Plant bio on July 13, 2011 | 1 Comment »
I noticed this flowering creeping perennial at the wildflower garden at the Museum of Natural History. I thought “how lovely” because I had no clue what it was, initially. Moneywort, as this turned out to be, is native to Europe, and was introduced in North America as a horticultural plant. It first got here in […]
From the non-native dossier: Lotus corniculatus (bird’s foot trefoil)
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Invasive, Plant bio on July 13, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This yellow-flowering perennial is native to Europe, Asia and North Africa, but can now be found worldwide. The name comes from the leaves that seem to be arranged in threes, resembling a flat-footed bird’s foot. In actuality those are just the most visible leaves out of a quintet. The plant will flower until September and […]
Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed)
Posted in Flora, Plant bio on July 12, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This milkweed is a tall native plant which is usually found in swamps, near rivers, and wet meadows throughout most of the United States (It is not native to the western states). It reaches 3 to 5 feet and is now producing clusters of small, pinkish flowers. These flowers are an important food source for […]
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Interesting, Plant bio on July 12, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
It’s nice to see these milkweeds popping up everywhere, alongside roads and in meadows. The plants don’t require much tending – they prefer dry well-drained soils and full sun, and will do fine in poor soils as well. Common milkweed is quite drought tolerant. The plant can be grown from seed, and will readily self-seed. […]
Do you know who I am? Some kinda wintergreen, perhaps?
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Plant bio on July 11, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Myco-heterotrophy, the relationship described in an earlier post about the indian pipe plant, is not so uncommon, and can be found in several different groups of plants. The monotropes, the liverwort Cryptothallus, and non-photosynthetic orchids are full-time myco-heterotrophs. Some plants are partial myco-heterotrophic, and others can switch back and forth, or are myco-heterotrophic at one […]
Rudbeckia hirta (blackeyed susan)
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Plant bio on July 11, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This plant is spectacular when it is doing well. I’ve had mixed results. None of the plants survived from last summer. True – they can be annual or biennal plants, but in some cases or situations they are perennial. I think the drought did them in last year. This year, I had some good strong […]
Monotropa uniflora (indian pipe)
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Plant bio on July 10, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This is one of the more interesting plants on Cape Cod – it has no chlorophyll, and therefore no green leaves, so it cannot obtain energy from sunlight. Instead, it gets nutrients as follows: In the leaves of a nearby tree, or photosynthesizing plant, carbon dioxide is turned into sucrose, which is transported to the […]