It felt nice outside since it finally was above freezing for a change, but it isn’t spring yet so no early Hepaticas blooming yet. The white variety wouldn’t be spotted easily among the snow either, so I prefer the pink or blue shades instead for a splash of color in the woods.
White Hepatica
Four days in a row with snow on the ground seems like it is four days too many as I’m not ready for winter yet since the calendar says winter doesn’t start until the 21st. I rather see some green and color from flowers, even ones that look like they have my bed-hair look. The purple pink blossoms of Wild Bergamot looks like a firework exploding and is found during the summer months.
Exploding Blossom
Even with the sun out, on a late fall day there isn’t much color to be found without flowers blooming. The pink of wild roses can be seen in the summer but even their colors are only displayed a short time before they fade and drop their petals on the ground.
Summer Wild Rose
While the trees are beginning to display some color, there is still some splashes of color on the ground from wildflowers, like the pink-purple color from the Blood Milkwort plant.
Blood Milkwort
Butterflies, bees and hummingbirds are not the only creatures going after the flower blossoms for nectar. Other insects are drawn to blossoms, including this ant on the swamp milkweed blossom, but I do prefer seeing a butterfly sitting there instead.
Ant on Swamp Milkweed
Small spots of orange can be seen in ditches and other areas. The Spotted Touch-me-not, or Orange Jewelweed, is a native flower which grows 3 to 5 feet tall. Hummingbirds feed on the flower’s nectar and when the seed pods are ripe, the seeds explodes out of the pods if they are touched, which is where the name ‘touch-me-not’ comes from.
Spotted Touch-me-not
It seems that a majority of the wildflowers found around my area in the late summer are yellow in color, including the invasive species Yellow Toadflax introduced from Europe, also known as Butter and Eggs.
Butter and Eggs
My lone wild orchid did return this year again, just several weeks later than the prior years, but I was glad to see it blooming again. The blossoms open at the bottom of the stem first and work they way up to the top. The individual blossoms of the Lesser Purple Fringed Orchid, which look like dancing angels, are about three quarters of an inch long.
Return of the Orchid
While vegetables and flowers may be shown at the fair, this native orchid would not be on display and it is very difficult to grow in a garden. And after blooming two years in a row, I have not spotted the Lesser Purple Fringed Orchid this year yet, so I might have to wait another 35 years before spotting another one again.
Missing Orchid
Before the rain moved in this afternoon, the tiny blue flower along a creek bed caught a few rays of sunshine. The Forget-me-not flowers are often overlooked as the blossoms are only about a quarter to a third of an inch across.
Forget-Me-Not
