I guess I shouldn’t have complained about the cold, sunny day yesterday since it was cloudy today and even colder with a few snow flakes in the air too. The drab day increases the desire for spring and colorful wildflowers.
Splash of Blue and Pink
Picture of the Day for January 22, 2014
After watching the snow flying by creating white outs, I rather have a bug fly by and see a field waving purple instead.
Wild Asters
Picture of the Day for January 2, 2014
The sun is out bright this morning, but all it reveals is a very white, cold landscape and all one can do is dream of a warm, green summer day colored with yellow even if goldenrod is considered a weed, it is still nice to see instead of white.
Goldenrod is in the aster family and is often blamed for hay fever but since the pollen of goldenrod is too heavy to be blown far, the ragweed that blooms at the same time is the main culprit. Goldenrod is a good sources of nectar for bees, flies, wasps, and butterflies and Native Americans used the seeds of some species for food and leaves are edible from young plants and some herbal teas are sometimes made with goldenrod.
While the golden plant might provide food, like the amber honey, just seeing the golden color is food for the soul on a cold winter day.
Golden Delight
Picture of the Day for December 27, 2013
The sun is finally out since it is not snowing at the moment, but other than patches of blue sky, there isn’t much color to see besides white and even though the tiny Forget-me-not are often overlooked along little creeks as they are so small, they do add some blue, yellow and green to brighten the landscape.
Tiny Forget-Me-Nots
Picture of the Day for December 19, 2013
While the bindweed is considered a problematic weed in agricultural fields, I would rather see this white flower than the falling snow outside.
Different White
Picture of the Day for December 10, 2013
Winter hasn’t officially started, at least by the calendar, but I am already looking forward to spring and some color besides white.
Dreaming of Spring
Picture of the Day for December 1, 2013
Today might be the last Sunday above freezing for a walk in the woods without the ground being covered in snow until springtime, but with deer hunting still going on, it might not be too safe for a walk without wearing orange.
But if you did adventure out in the woods around here, you might spot some bright green leaves looking totally out of place with the rest of the autumn decor. The Hepatica is first wildflower to appear in my woods in the spring, where the blossoms comes up on its own stem and the leaves do not appear until after the flower petals have dropped. And while they are first wildflower in the spring, the Hepatica seems to be the last one giving green color to the forest floor.
Wee Bit of Green
Picture of the Day for October 1, 2013
The “leaf peepers” might not only ignore the tree trunks, but the late fall wildflowers too even if bright red and yellow like this little flower in the morning dew. A single blossom too little to be see driving by on the road but might catch your eye if a cluster of them are waving their colors in the breeze.
The Plains coreopsis, also known as Golden tickseed, Goldenwave, or Calliopsis, is a native wildflower to the Great Plains but has been introduced to most regions of the United States. And while the annual does not grow very tall and has to compete with taller grasses and wildflowers, it does attract a variety of insects such as bees, flies, butterflies and beetles.
And apparently some insect chewed a hole in the petal so while the people out driving looking for autumn leaf colors may ignore this wildflower, the insects didn’t!
Plains Coreopsis
Picture of the Day for August 31, 2013
The Last Rose of Summer is a poem by Irish poet Thomas Moore in 1805 while at Jenkinstown Park in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Moore’s poem starts out ” ‘Tis the last rose of summer, Left blooming alone; All her lovely companions, Are faded and gone;” and this the wild rose has long faded and is gone from sight.
Wild roses bloom from June through late summer. The petals come in varying shades of pink, with yellow stamens decorating the flower’s center. The rose has been around for about 35 million years and grows naturally throughout North America. The petals and rose hips are edible and have been used in medicines since ancient times.
The Last Wild Rose of Summer
Picture of the Day for June 4, 2013
The Wild Germanium are making an appearance in the ditches and woods. Geranium is derived from the Greek word geranos, meaning crane. Though this name seems curious, it actually refers to the shape of the seed pod, not the flower. The papery seed capsules, which split lengthwise into five long peels, resemble a crane or stork. Cranesbill and Storksbill are two common names for Wild Geranium describing this likeness.
One of the most surprising and beautiful aspects of Wild Geranium is the color of its pollen. Unlike most wildflowers with traditionally yellow, orange, or white pollen, when viewed under a microscope Wild Geranium’s pollen is bright blue. This attracts a variety of insects, including the digger wasp, which come to pollinate the flower.
Wild Geranium
