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)
Here are two HDR shots by A.F. Aaron, where I was only the art director (and HDR technician). The meadow at Charles River Peninsula — a shagbark hickory at the top of the hill and lots of bedstraw, madder, milkweed, clover and cypress spurge. And a snail on the bedstraw. It’s an Oxyloma retusa, a tiny land snail with some sort of topo map on its shell.
I took a walk here that was so fascinating, new things revealing themselves… and later read a blog entry at happiness-project.com (July 13, 2012) that made a lot of sense to me: “Recently, I noticed a pattern among activities that people find fun: Go on a mission. There’s something about having a playful purpose, of trying to achieve something, that makes an activity more fun. For example, a friend told that she loved visiting flea markets and antique stores to look for old globes – not fancy ones, cheap ones. She has a rule that she’ll never pay more than $20. She’s the kind of person who loves poking around in those kinds of shops in any case, but having a mission makes it more fun, less aimless….. Taking photos is a common way to incorporate a mission into traveling. Not only does this help keep memories vivid, it also makes you more attuned to your environment while traveling.” Anyway. It’s funny how this project has transformed my perception of our walks — What will I find?!
One blooming at Charles River Peninsula, and one just getting started at Wilson. Furry little things. Was used by midwives to prevent uterine infection and for other pregnancy-related issues; that’s how it came to be called Motherwort. Mint family. Originally from Central Asia but widely distributed due to its medicinal uses.
Motherwort, Lion’s Ear, Lion’s Tail (Leonurus cardiaca)
This concludes this particular amazing walk at CRP where all kinds of exciting new stuff was in bloom — catnip, water hemlock, campion, tick trefoil, button bush… Rose family. Native.
Meadowsweet (Spiraea latifolia)
A fascinating plant that presumably in past years I walked by blindfolded. A shrubby little tree growing with its feet in the Charles River. Has medicinal uses, but also considered toxic. Good for butterfly gardens! Coffee Family. Native.
Button Bush, Button-willow, Honey Bells (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
One of North America’s most poisonous plants, contains “cicutoxin.” Many recorded deaths of people, and apparently it kills a lot of grazing livestock. Can grow to 8 feet tall. Apiaceae family. Native.
Water Hemlock, Cowbane, Poison Parsnip (Cicuta)
Sessile-leaved means the leaves are basically growing right out of the central stalk with no leaf stems. You can see the green seed pods that grab onto passersby like ticks. Bean family. Native.
Sessile-leaved Tick Trefoil (Desmodium sessilifolium)
Have seen loads of white campion and bladder campion, but this is the only little plant of this kind that I’ve noted.
Pink Campion (a hybrid of Silene dioica and S. latifolia — red and white campions)
This is apparently a variety of Snowberry, a shrub in the honeysuckle family. Will have white berries. The inside of the berries looks like sparkling snow. A winter food supply for birds, but poisonous to humans. Native to North and Central America. (Photo by A.F. Aaron.) (He was kind enough to include a bonus Dogbane Beetle, Chrysochus auratus.)
Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)
Bonus bug munching on Milkweed leaves: it’s a Red Milkweed Beetle (Tetraopes femoratus)
It had been a couple of weeks since I visited this area, and the flora had really changed… so many new things in blossom, and so many formerly flowering plants already browning or sprouting seed pods. There is a big stand of this flower and I’m excited to discover that it’s wild catnip! Must collect a few sprigs for the cats in my life. The most drought-resistant member of the Mint family. According to Illinoiswildflowers, “Apparently, a chemical in the foliage produces a pleasant intoxicating effect in cats, somewhat akin to the effect of marijuana on humans. As a result, plants in residential areas may display signs of damage from cats rolling in the foliage.” Native to Eurasia.
Catnip (Nepeta cataria)