I have photographed several flowers that I have refused to post. They signal fall to me, and I’m not quite ready to give up summer. Here’s a hint at one. What do you suppose is causing that golden bokeh behind this midsummer Blue Vervain?
Silly, I suppose. I have, after all, posted plenty of berries and seed heads… early indicators of a season coming to a close. Still, to post Goldenrod would be to say, “Autumn is here.” And I won’t do it… not just yet… even though I’ve been seeing it in the fields since July*.
It has been a joy to walk the fields and woods and munch on berries while discovering a host of plants that seem to straddle two seasons – beginning in mid-summer and ending in late summer or early fall… the July-September crowd. Blue Vervain is one. So is Spotted Jewelweed.
Here’s another – a new one for me this year, though when I see it now, I can’t believe I never noticed it before. It is tall and the flower is anything but inconspicuous. How could I have walked by it and been oblivious? And it has such a great name, too! Square-stemmed Monkey Flower. I tried to find out how the monkey flowers got their name… there are several species. I haven’t been able to find out. Do you know?
The fluffy white tufts of Boneset are coming on. They’ll be with us a bit longer, blooming from July – October. Boneset has traditionally been used to treat a wide variety of fever-producing illnesses and as an anti-inflammatory for arthritis.
Rough Avens blooms June through August. I did find a blossom yesterday in the woods, but mostly I’m seeing the seedheads.
What’s your favorite mid-summer flower?
* Actually… there are dozens of species of Goldenrod, and some of them have bloom times of July-September…. Here’s one… Reluctantly… I’m not sure of the species. I didn’t look carefully enough at the leaves.
I am enjoying the Jewelweed this year. By the river I have found yellow flowers and pink flowers that are almost identical to the orange Jewelweed, but with a slightly different leaf. They must belong to the same family, but my (limited) guidebook doesn’t feature them. I have a new book on order.
Great flower photos, Jennifer! I’m fond of Godetia (Clarkia rubicunda), as it grows in large magenta swaths on otherwise dried-out, golden hillsides around here. Square Mariposa Lily (Chalochortus venustus) is my other late-season favorite.
For photos, see:
http://www.adampaul.com/gallery/Wildflowers/Evening%20Primrose/Godetia
http://www.adampaul.com/gallery/Wildflowers/Lily/Square%20Mariposa%20Lily
Square-stemmed monkey flower-Sounds lie something that would be sold at a garden shop on planet of the apes!
I looked a little bit into the monkey flower and this is what I found:
MIMULUS . (Monkeyflower)
(Name from Mimo, an ape, refers to gaping mouth of flower)
Lovely pictures.
Ooh! Thank you Eileen!
I so understand that reluctance to acknowledge the hints of autumn drifting into the fields and hedgerows. But see? The Goldenrod persisted and you just couldn’t resist its glowing siren’s call :0)