I love this name. Small flowers, under a half inch wide, that are only open when it’s sunny. A thick cascade of flowers–can be blue, but these are white. A tall plant, up to 15 feet, with milky juice. Has a history of medical uses but not of food use. Annual or biennial. Aster family.
Tall Blue Lettuce, Woodland Lettuce (Lactuca biennis)
Finding this little aster in most of the woods here. It’s one of the few plants blooming in the dry shade at this late time in the season. Aster family. Native to eastern North America.
White Wood Aster (Eurybia divaricata)
A furry little legume. Ag scientists are currently working on genetic modifications (adding one gene from this clover to common white clover) to make it better for grazing (to decrease methane emissions!). Fabaceae family. Native to Europe and Asia.
Rabbit-foot Clover, Haresfoot Clover, Stone Clover (Trifolium arvense)
Thanks to Alert Flowerspotter Aaron who snapped this for me while at an autocross event with his brother in Ayers, Massachusetts. Growing through the concrete at an old airfield. Considered a noxious weed in many western states. One of its invasive species skills is: “low palatability” —meaning no one wants to eat it AND it’s “allelopathic”, meaning its roots send out a toxin that stunts the growth of nearby plants! Wily! Native to Europe.
Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea maculosa)
A dandelionesque little opportunist colonizing the sidewalk and a neglected park in Jamaica Plain. Native to most of the northern hemisphere.
Canada Hawkweed, Kalm’s Hawkweed (Hieracium kalmii)
Oh man, these are looking great around the arboretum pond, where the pickelweed used to be in bloom. My height, with showy blossoms about 6 inches across. This is also growing in the local river marshes alongside the purple loosestrife for a major show. Native.
Swamp Rose Mallow, Rose Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos)
Bonus picture: if you turn around from photographing the mallow, you see Matt, who came for tai chi class and then stayed to add ambience to the arboretum.
This is the season when the nasty invasive Purple Loosestrife is on such beautiful display along the marshy river banks. I took these on a quiet Saturday morning and it was about as lovely a sight as you could ever see. (With mallow and water lilies.)
Kudos to Alert Flowerophile Brian for leading me to this amazing sight, a flower to jolt the heart of any weary blossom-hunter. Quite big (about 4 feet tall) and showy, and only the second red flower I’ve recorded. On a little-used trail at Noanet. Flowers July through September. Likes to grow near streams, which is exactly where this one is. Pollinated mainly by hummingbirds because most insects aren’t big enough to manage the large tubular flowers. My book says it’s fairly common, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before. Leaf teas brewed for medicinal use by indigenous tribes. Native. It was introduced to Europe in the 1620s. Campanula family.
Cardinal Flower, Scarlet Lobelia (Lobelia cardinalis)
I posted a water lily photo previously, but they are only open in the morning, and this is the first time I’ve managed a morning shot. They are so gorgeous and exotic-looking, I wanted to include this one too.
I need enhanced macro power! Anyway, thanks to A.F. Donna for suggesting I check out Longfellow Pond. There are several new finds there. This is swamp milkweed—the flower clusters are not as spherical as common milkweed, and the color is brighter. Has specialized roots for swamp living. Attracts Monarch butterflies.
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
