This is the plant that you hear about because it’s a major cause of hay fever. I never knew what it looked like, and now that I know, I see it is growing like a house afire all over the meadows at Centennial. Up to 6 feet tall. Aster family. Native.
Common Ragweed, Bitterweed, Roman Wormwood, Stammerwort (Ambrosia artemisiifolia)
Autumn can’t take you by surprise if you’re paying attention to the wildflowers; the passage of time is well-measured by their progress. They’re moving into fruiting and seeding overdrive… at Charles River Peninsula, the milkweeds have developed their giant seedpods, and the horse nettle has set on its tomato-like fruits. These are toxic to humans, but many other creatures eat them. Nightshade family. Native.
Horse Nettle (Solanum carolinense)
A common tall weed, but it’s interesting to see upclose the little white fruits. They can turn red in the sun. The taproot can be 5 feet long. Native to Europe.
Bitter Dock (Rumex obtusifolia)
Edible. All parts taste peppery. The young leaves can be sauteed or eaten in salads, and the young seedpods can be used like black pepper. Mustard family. Native.
Virginia Pepperweed, Peppergrass (Lepidium virginicum)
This is off the topic of wildflowers, but on the topic of local plants and growing seasons. We’ve bought a CSA share in The Dover Farm, which is pretty near here, and we just picked up our first bunch of chow (in the pouring rain). They had it in bins with signs: Take 1 bunch radishes, etc. Brian spread it out on the counter at home: two kinds of lettuce, japanese spinach, bok choy, kale, kohlrabi, scallions, radishes and garlic scapes. The salad that night tasted so crisp and interesting.
When we were photographing the Bristly Locust, a couple of these showy iridescent beetles were zooming around and grabbing our attention. A.F. Irit felt they really should get their own post. Now that I know the name, I can see the six spots, three on each wing. Evidently they are super fast, often outrunning their prey by so much that they lose track and have to stop and re-orient themselves to their desired lunch.
Six-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sexguttata)
Today I found their secret Red Wing Bay lair. Had to take a couple more photos because they are so photogenic. Arum family. Separate male and female plants, females ones larger, pollinated by flies.
The air was full of birdsongs — I was thinking, if the bird walk man were there he would be reading them like a story, but to me… it was like looking at a page of a foreign language that I don’t speak… beautiful but I couldn’t read it. Also when we came out of the woods onto the grassy trail, we scared a big wild turkey who had been ambling along at his leisure.
The really exciting find at Noanet was… discovering the secret lair of the Jack in the Pulpits! In bloom! Brilliant name. Arum family.
Jack in the Pulpit, Indian Turnip (Arisaema triphyllum)
There are lots of these at Centennial. In autumn, the leaves turn a ghostly pale pink in the shade. It’s an invasive and “its importation and sale is prohibited in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.” That must be a recent development, since they’re everywhere. Native to eastern Asia.
