Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Roadside wildflowers part 3: The North Woods

You know, I had expected to see a lot of new and different plants that I wasn't familiar with way up in the "North Woods" but except for a few example I knew just about every plant I saw blooming up there. Many of them are more rare further south, or are found in different assemblages (plant community groups), but at least the common stuff along the side of the road and trail are plants found throughout the state, for the most part.

Looks like these got uploaded a bit out of order but no matter.  A lot of plants for you this time, check it out.

 
 At first I thought this was a Hustonia (bluet), but now I'm not sure. It was growing in wet soil on the edge of a lake.  The flower is a pale violet when not over-exposed.  Any thoughts botanists?

Indian pipe, a fascinating parasitic plant!

 pickerel weed, a beautiful wetland plant.

I think this is just good-old germander.

 Someone correct me if necessary, I think this is blue-joint grass, apparently a very common native wetland grass.

 Green headed coneflower.

 Common yarrow.

 There were a couple goldenrods up there that were a bit confusing, I don't think these were the common Canada goldenrod, I'm guessing these are Missouri goldenrod.


early goldenrod, the bees love it.

 Tall hairy agrimony (Agrimonia gryposepala)

field milkwort (Polygala sanguinea), pretty rare in the south only found in high quality dry prairies, but this was growing in the middle of a 2-track trail.

red maple doesn't have any (showy) flowers, but the bright red colors of fresh leaves stand out on the roadside.

 American white water lily

 red baneberry.

 big-leaved aster
 pearly everlasting

 spreading dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium)

 gumweed, found near the old railroad line in Hayward, its an import from further west.





Here are a couple native roses, large flowers, straight thorns, and entire ligules make it clear there are American plants and not imports.  The one on the left I think is good old pasture rose, the one on the right, found in a wet ditch near a river I think is swamp rose (Rosa palustris)

I think this might be a hybrid between our two native spiraeas, but if I had to guess, it looks more like Spiraea alba, meadowsweet, to me.


 hog peanut, an agressive native legume vine... I think its a charming woodland component.

pointed leaf tick-trefoil is another native woodland legume.  Seeds to tend to stick to your socks though.

 Downy rattlesnake plantain orchid.

we'll just say that this is an evening primrose, not sure what species.

 tall anemone, no longer in flower, but an interesting woodland plant none the less.

 No flowers here, but a cool log along the trail with moss and fungi.

 The lovely hedge bindweed, often maligned due to its relation to the weedy, non-native field bindweed.
sawtooth sunflower with a very interesting pollinating fly on it.

 I'm guessing, based on leaf texture, that this is smooth blue aster.

I'm not entirely sure, but I think this is bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)

found a few patches of valerian on the roadside, certainly the non-native garden valerian.

 orange jewelweed



 I believe this is flat-topped aster, but the top is not as flat as I am used to seeing.

 don't know why this wild columbine was blooming so late, but I was happy to see it.

 I just figured this one out!: narrow-leaved cow-wheat (Melampyrum lineare)

 Liatris ligulistylis, "showy" blazing star

 canada hawkweed (Hieracium umbellatum)

harebells, I saw lots more of these, bigger, more flowers, but that was after my real camera died, and I didn't even want to try to photograph them with my iPhone.

 This snowberry was growing at the base of the "Bayfield" town sign.  Not sure if it was planted or wild.

This lupine was growing along a state highway in an area that had been mowed, it is flowering now likely because it was mowed down in June, and its just now getting around to blooming again.

 I think this is hairy goldenrod, (Solidago hispida) a new one for me.

Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus) a raspberry that's not very tasty.


bluebead lily (Clintonia borealis)

I'm not sure what this is, or even what family it is in (mint?).  I saw it in several places along the roadside in dry woodlands.

this is a ladies tresses orchid... not sure which one exactly, but I thought it was remarkable that all of the flowers were on one side of the stem, and the basal leaves were very tiny.  The stems and flowers were fuzzy.

1 comment:

  1. Someone correct me if necessary, I think this is blue-joint grass, apparently a very common native wetland grass.native wetland plants

    ReplyDelete