WILDFLOWERS AT HOME ( part 11 )

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ASIATIC DAYFLOWER

Flowers appear in August on this dayflower.  I found this group of plants along the edge of the garden on the west side.  The plant has threASIATIC DAYFLOWER

e long stemmed leaves.  It may have been introduced in the garden area from plants Tom brought from his home at Eau Claire years ago.  

I have always enjoyed the bright blue color of these flowers even though they can be invasive.

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SWEET EVERLASTING

This photo was taken in mid-August.  Later in the fall the buds open and seeds fuzz out of the centers of these tiny flowers.  They keep well when dried and have a delicious butterscotch smell to them.  I brought the seeds home after picking the flowers in the fall, south of City Point, and spread them around the dike.  They are now growing on the inner dike.   I believe the deer ate them off on the outer dike as they seem to be thriving only in the fenced off area.   

It is the butterscotch aroma that makes me love this little flower.

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FALL ASTER

These flowers are light lavender in color and appear in mid to late August and last until a frost.  They are found at the edges of the yard in sunny and shady places.  This photo was taken under the overhang of the old cabin.   There are several kinds of asters and this one has rounder leaves and larger flowers than the others on our property.  The aster is a sign that summer is nearly over.

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TOUCH-ME-NOT or JEWEL WEED

The touch-me-not plant grows 3 to 4 feet tall and sports small orange/yellow hanging flowers in mid to late August.  These plants have little seed pods which, when touched, spring open shooting out seeds.  This plant has some damaged leaves, not sure what from; it was not a good year for this plant for some reason.

The leaves of the touch-me-not can be rubbed together and spread on the skin on poison ivy rashes and will bring some relief.  Deer love to eat them and although this plant was found along the driveway near the garage, the numbers of these plants at home seem to be dwindling.  

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LITTLE ASTERS

Another variety of asters, these grow along the driveway and have white petals and purple centers.  They are quite tiny and have narrow leaves, growing low to the ground in the fall.

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CLUSTERED ASTERS

Found in large clusters these white asters are the tallest of all that grow here at home.  They can be 3 to 4 feet in height sporting large groups of small white flowers with yellow centers.  They grow along the driveway and pond where they can take in a good deal of daily sunlight.  Like the other asters, they appear in mid to late August and September and are a sign of summer’s end.  

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RATTLESNAKE-ROOT or WHITE LETTUCE

This plant was found in a shady spot next to the grader blades over the basement drain.  The drain has not been running for several weeks due to the dry summer we are having.  

The blossoms on this plant hang down and have a purple hue, while the flower itself is mainly white.  The flowers also hang upside down.  This photo was taken in early September.  

I was excited to spot this rattlesnake-root; I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before.  The metal underneath the hanging flowers is the little grader blade bridge.

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MINI PURPLE ASTERS

I photographed these little light purple asters along the driveway.  They are very similar to the larger variety, but have long narrow leaves rather than rounder large, leaves.  They like full sun and grow along the driveway and pond in late August and September.

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SWAMP SMARTWEED

I found a cluster of these flowers growing in the bed of Tom’s Creek, unexpectedly, in early September.  They were next to a small beaver dam and the creek was not flowing because of the drought we were having.  

These plants were 1 to 3 feet tall and the pink flowers appeared very striking in the sunlight.  The plants were emerging from a stagnant water hole.

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Photographing all the wild flowers I encountered on our property from spring until the end of the growing season in the fall of 2013 was great therapy.  Whenever I encountered a new flower on my walks I dashed back in the house to get the camera so I could document it.

I hope these photos inspire you and your children to look for wild flowers too, I’d like you to appreciate them, smell them, and pick them.  I’m sure as time passes you will find new flowers to add to the list and some shown here will fade away in time.  

It would be interesting to go back one hundred years or more to see what kind of wild flowers were growing here then.  There may have been fewer flowers before the white man settled here in Sherwood.  One reason I feel that way is because the tall whites and other trees such as oaks may have shaded more area creating a canopy that wouldn’t have allowed some flowers to grow.   If deer were fewer and trees were taller, I’d like the think the forests would have been filled with trilliums in springtime.

100 years from now I hope wild flowers still flourish and continue to spread their magic throughout our forest and field.

I searched the woods and open spaces,

For wild flowers from spring til fall.

And as I watched the seasons change,

I truly marveled at them all.

  Kay      ~ 12-16-2013 ~