Aureolaria virginica Downy Yellow False Foxglove is a perennial found in dry, oak forests. I spotted this plant today (July 13) on a Forest Service road near Poverty Creek/Pandapas Pond Recreation Area. As the name implies, the stems and leaves of this native are covered in downy hair. The leaves are opposite and quite varied…
Author: Gloria
American Poke
Phytolacca americana Also known as Virginia poke, American nightshade, pokeweed, and pokeberry, among other names, this native perennial is a towering beauty in fallow fields. American poke grows very tall (6-12 ft!) and typically inhabits waste areas and edge habitat. The leaves of American poke are simple, alternate, lanceolate, entire, and very large (up to…
Square-stemmed Monkey-flower
Mimulus ringens Monkey flower is a tall native wildflower that is fond of wet places. Like all members of the snapdragon group, monkeyflower has 2 lips that surround an open “mouth”. The upper lip has 2 frilly lobes and the lower lip has 3 lobes. If you squeeze the two lips together you can make…
Black Trumpets
Craterellus cornucopioides Although I’ve heard of edible black trumpet mushrooms before, I was not expecting to find them today. I practically fell over them on my way to pick up a few chanterelles! Once I got a good look at them, I started to find them at just about every spot where I also found…
Mushroom Foray #5
A July 8th mushroom foray with a friend (can you call a two-person mushroom hunt a “foray”?) resulted in a whole bunch of new species for me. Here are some of the species we found. If you can identify some of the “mystery” species, please leave me a comment. Thanks! Golden-gilled Gerronema And finally, found…
July 4th Mushroom Walk
Here are a few of the interesting fungi I found growing at Pandapas Pond on July 4th. I know a few of these, but some of them are unidentified. If you know what they are, will you drop me a line? Thanks! Click on any image in the gallery for a larger view.
Chanterelles in General
Cantharellus If you live here in Southwest Virginia, you’ll know its been raining steadily for most of the summer. The ground is sopping wet and the streams and rivers are out of their banks. Everyone is getting a little tired of it by now. But take a walk in the forest and you’ll find some…
Blue Mist Flower or Wild Ageratum
Conoclinium coelestinum Until today, I always thought of ageratum as a low-growing garden annual that you could buy readily in any garden center– but I never knew it was also a native wildflower! I recently found a colony of these plants growing along the side of a shallow pond in Blacksburg, VA. The plants were…
Soapwort or Bouncing Bet
Saponaria officianalis Early settlers brought seeds of soapwort to the U.S. from Europe. It was actively cultivated in gardens. An extract made from the juice of the plant was used to create suds when washing clothes–hence the name soapwort. The plant was also called “Bouncing Bet”, after the old-timey name for a wash woman. From…
Swamp Milkweed or Silkplant
Asclepias incarnata Pretty enough for any garden, the deep pink blossoms of this summer milkweed beg you to stop and smell the flowers! Dozens of individual blooms are borne on stout umbels at the top of a 2-5 ft. tall plant. Look closely to see the five, up-turned petals on each flower. Sweet! The leaves (see photo below) are opposite,…
Basil Bee Balm
Monarda clinopdia This tall, native mint can be found right now, in July, growing in fields and along roadsides. The tubular-shaped flowers are massed in a compact head at the top of the plant; each flower is white with red flecks. The leaves are simple, opposite, and gently toothed. Like all the bee balms, the fragrant flowers are frequented…
Chicory
Cichorium intybus Chicory, blue sailors, wild succory, coffeeweed, or cornflower…whatever you want to call it–how can you not LOVE the bright blue flowers of this tough little wildflower? In a summer field, chicory stands out because of its tall, rigid stems that almost appear woody. Here and there along the stem appear aster-like flowers in…
Golden Chanterelles
Cantharellus cibarius It’s time to get out in our local forests and maybe find a “pot of gold”: dozens of big, fresh chanterelles crowded into a small patch, yours for the taking. There is not much more to say about this, except “wow, they are mighty fine brushed with olive oil and garlic, and then grilled whole over…
Heal-All or Self-Heal
Prunella vulgaris As the name would suggest, heal-all has been used to treat all kinds of maladies in the past. Traditionally, the shape of a plant was often used to discern its medicinal uses, and so the shape of this flower, with its open mouth exposing the throat, led to it being used as a…
Black Cohosh
Cimicifuga racemosa If you have ever walked down the supplement aisle in a health food store, you’ve probably heard of Black Cohosh. The plant has long been harvested from the Appalachian Mountains for medicinal use, and even today the roots are still collected and sold for cash to the supplement industry. The primary use of teas, pills,…
Bee Balm and Wild Bergamot
Monarda There are many species of Monarda, but all have the following things in common: the plants have square stems; the leaves are simple, serrated, opposite, and have petioles; there is a distinct smell of mint when the leaves are crushed; the large flowers arise from a whorl, and sometimes the whorls are stacked up…
Queen Anne’s Lace
Daucus carota Here she is in all her loveliness– Queen Anne’s Lace, named after Queen Anne of England, who was an expert lacemaker! This umbrella-shaped flower is made up of many tiny white flowers; together they form the “lacy” pattern characteristic of the wildflower’s inflorescence. Below the umbel of flowers is a spray of finely…
Spotted St. Johnswort
Hypericum punctatum The plants in the St. Johnswort family have paired, toothless leaves that are dotted with tiny dark glands. The 5-petalled, yellow flowers have numerous, showy stamens. In the case of Spotted St. Johnswort, the elliptic leaves are very rounded at the tip; the tiny glands are black and dot not only the leaves but…
Fringed Loosestrife
Lysimachia ciliata Yellow loosetrifes have 5 yellow petals; this species differs from the others in a couple of ways. First, the edges of the flower petals are gently wavy or toothed. You can observe that in the photo above. Also, the flowers of this plant always face downward (nodding), such that you have to turn them over…
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca Milkweed is an interesting plant on a variety of levels. Most of us already know that monarch butterfly larvae feed exclusively on milkweed leaves, which renders the caterpillars and butterflies toxic to predators. And most of us know that the plant’s name is derived from the fact that it produces a milky-white, sticky…
Daisy Fleabane or Annual Fleabane
Erigeron annuus Considering it is late June, we had an unusually cool and cloudy day today. I took advantage of the weather and enjoyed an afternoon walk at Heritage Park in Blacksburg. This park is also known locally as the “Old Brown Farm”, and I find myself walking there fairly often because I enjoy the…
Padleaf Rein Orchid
Platanthera orbiculata I was pleasantly surprised to spot a tall spike of white flowers in the forest above Mountain Lake Lodge yesterday. Even from the road I could tell it was something unusual. I was in search of another orchid (purple fringed orchid) that I had seen in that area in June a few years back,…
Yarrow
Considering how long I’ve been at this flower blog, it is a wonder that I haven’t posted a portrait of yarrow yet! It is so ubiquitous that it practically goes unnoticed in summer fields and roadsides. And yet, there is something very special about this simple white flower. Achillea millefolium Of course you know by now…
Field Chamomile
Anthemis I found this beautiful, small daisy growing in a shale outcropping at Pandapas Pond yesterday. Unlike other daisy-like flowers blooming at this time, this plant was relatively low-growing with small (1-inch) but robust flowers. The unique leaves were finely divided and almost lacy. The entire plant had a rather sprawling growth habit and appeared…
Large Purple Fringed Orchid
Platanthera grandiflora Ooo-la-la!! Look what I found! While searching for something else, I practically stumbled on this little pink firebomb up in the woods at Mountain Lake. On first glance, I thought it was “just Phlox”, which started to bloom in the woods near Blacksburg recently. Then I took a couple steps closer and nearly…
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly weed is a kind of milkweed. The brightly colored, orange flowers are similar in shape to those of common milkweed. It is a native perennial that gets its name from the fact that the flowers are so attractive to butterflies. Insects and hummingbirds are attracted to both the color and the large…
Jewelweed
Impatiens capensis Jewelweed or touch-me-not is a tall annual that grows in moist areas, usually along the banks of streams, rivers and ponds. The leaves are somewhat toothed and blue-green in color. Raindrops tend to bead up on the leaves, giving it a “bejeweled” appearance in sunshine. The trumpet-like or funnel-shaped flowers are yellowish-orange with…
American Wintergreen or Round-leaved Pyrola
Pyrola americana Also flowering in June is another member of the Wintergreen Family: Round-leaved Pyrola. This low-growing, creeping perennial has shiny green leaves arranged in a rosette. Each leaf is 1 to 2 inches in length, rounded at the tip, and strongly veined. Several blooms are born on a spike (raceme). The hanging, white flowers…
Common Mullein
Verbascum thapsus Common mullein is a large biennial plant that can grow 5 to 6 feet in height. The distinctive, grayish-green, oval leaves are covered in a downy hair that is very soft to the touch. In the plant’s first year, only a basal rosette of leaves appears. In the second year, a tall flower…
Thimbleweed or Tall Anemone
Anemone virginiana Here’s another great Virginia wildlflower! I first found this plant in flower on a walking trail (edge habitat) near my house in early-June. At the time, there were only a couple of small flowers to be seen and it looked like they were all past their prime. I had no idea what it was,…
Pale-Spike Lobelia
Lobelia spicata This small-flowered lobelia has striking white to pale blue flowers that are borne on an unbranched stem (12-36 inches). The alternate leaves are ovate to spatulate, narrower at the base than at the tip. They tend to occur on the lower part of the stem, and some may form a loose basal rosette–…
Nodding Thistle or Musk Thistle
Carduus nutans As my previous post about thistles noted: “there are many species of thistles, including the locally common Bull thistle, Canada thistle, Plumeless thistle, Musk thistle, and Field thistle. Some are native and some are introduced. You can find thistles blooming throughout the summer and they are are never hard to find! Just ask any pollinator!” This…
Ragged Fringed Orchid
Platanthera lacera Here’s a lovely native orchid blooming now, in mid-June. I found this one growing in a hay field at Heritage Park in Blacksburg. It is fairly common on the east coast, although this is my first time ever seeing it. I was pretty excited to find it 🙂 ! Two common names for…
Fly Poison
Stagger Grass, Crow Poison, or Fly Poison Amianthium muscaetoxicum Look here– a lovely flower with a poisonous punch! Fly Poison is blooming right now in the higher elevations at Mountain Lake, in Giles County. This plant contains neurotoxins that are deadly enough to kill livestock. All parts of the plant are toxic, especially the bulb. …
Tassel Rue
Trauvetteria carolinensis In late spring and early summer, look for Tassel Rue growing along the banks of mountain streams. I recently spotted it at two of my favorite hiking places along the Blue Ridge Parkway: Rock Castle Creek Gorge and Crabtree Falls. The small flowers of tassel rue grow in a panicle at the top…
Lily-leaved Twayblade
Purple Twayblade, Lily-leaved Twayblade, Large Twayblade, or Brown Widelip Orchid Liparis liliifolia This inconspicuous, native orchid blooms in May and June. Each plant grows from a new underground corm; the previous year’s corm withers away. Two oval, waxy leaves emerge in April and eventually reach 4 to 6 inches in height. The small flowers begin to…
Skullcap
Scuttelaria Skullcap is a native perennial wildflower. The genus, Scuttelaria, is huge; there are 300 species worldwide. Ninety-plus species occur in North America alone. The flower get its name from the shape of the calyx (the group of sepals) at the base of the flower, which looks like a little helmet (or “skull cap”)….
Prince’s Pine or Pipsisewa
Prince’s Pine, Pipsisewa, Wintergreen, or Waxflower Chimaphila umbellate This is a very attractive native perennial that can be found in dry, mountain woodlands growing along side other kinds of wintergreen (like Striped Wintergreen , Round-leaved Pyrola, or American Wintergreen). Prince’s Pine has shiny-green, leathery, whorled leaves that are toothed. The pink to white flowers are waxy-looking…
Deptford Pink
Dianthus armeria Demure and understated, discovering this bright little flower blooming among the grasses makes me dream of going to Deptford! Don’t you think it must be beautiful there? Although it is indeed introduced from Europe, and probably even England, it is not really from the town of Deptford. The flower was wrongly identified when…
Striped Wintergreen or Pipsissewa
Chimaphila maculata Such a dainty, intriguing flower! I’ve been stalking it for a month now, waiting for it to come into bloom. Finally! Here it is in June at Pandapas Pond, near Blacksburg. This perennial evergreen herb is another forest floor inhabitant that could easily go unnoticed due to its size. In flower it is…
VIRGINIA WILDFLOWERS 