Wildflowers of Spring & Early Summer

Finally, I have my second wildflower post ready! It's been hard to find time to work on it, with so many other things happening lately. You'll find my first wildflower post here, if you missed it and are interested in seeing it.

Thank you all for your friendly comments. I'm sorry if I don't get around to visit you as often as I'd like to. Eventually I will!

The following photos were taken in late June and early July of 2006, while driving in our neighborhood. I rarely go anywhere without my camera these days, and sometimes it takes me a while to get "from here to there"!

Tufted or Cow Vetch

I really love the vetches. When I see this "weed" in our vegetable garden, I hate to pull it out. It makes such a pretty ground cover, doesn't it?

Tufted Vetch and Birdsfoot Trefoil are both members of the Pea family

Tufted vetch, red clover and Birdsfoot Trefoil (the yellow flowers...pronounced "treefoil").

Mustard

I've seen people gathering this to cook up as a vegetable. I think they probably do it before it blooms. Mustard is related to the white Arabis, or rock cress that blooms in my garden early in the Spring.

Fields of mustard are a common sight. Can you imagine the view from a plane?

The mustard is a weed growing in a corn field that may have been sprayed late, or not at all, to kill the weeds. Perhaps the extremely wet June last year prevented the spraying from being done at the appropriate time, or washed the spray away, as it did in our plantings of sweet corn.

Daylily - Hemerocallis fulva

This was one of the first orange daylilies that I found....standing all alone. Soon they could be seen along the road banks in great profusion. I've never seen so many before. Lilies apparently love lots of rain! I took loads of photos and will post a few more next time.

Unknown white shrub (Edit: Multiflora Rose)

This shrub grows in the front of an abandoned lot where I think a house once stood, and I'm wondering if it's a native, or if someone planted it here long ago. There are also a couple of lilac bushes on the lot. I couldn't find anything that exactly matched my photos on the Connecticut Botanical Society website that I used to identify, or find the Latin names of most of the wildflowers I didn't know, so I'm still in the dark as to what the shrub is. If anyone has some idea please let me know.

Here's a close up of the flowers.

Edit: Thanks to Ginger and Xris for naming this shrub for me. It's a Multiflora Rose, and is apparently considered invasive. I did find it on the above named website once I knew what to look for. I've seen more of the invasive Rugosa Rose around here. Both are pretty, in spite of the fact that they can be a nuisance.

Field Scabious - Pincushion Flower

This lovely wildflower grows in great profusion in fields that are no longer used for growing hay. We see so many abandoned fields now that there are so few working farms left in our area.

It forms a sea of pink and lavender

Cinquefoil - Potentilla

Moth on Cinquefoil

I found out that this sweet little yellow wildflower is related to the shrub, Potentilla that grows in my garden, and it is a member of the Rose family.

Fleabane is a member of the Aster family.

Black-eyed Susan - Rudbeckia Hirta

These were just beginning to bloom. They are the wild version of the Gloriosa Daisies that grow in my garden. Of course, there are many other Rudbeckias too.

Crown vetch

I'd like to have this wildflower covering the banks in front of our house.

Crown Vetch is a member of the Pea or Fabaceae family.


Like several other Blogger friends, I've been having trouble with some of my pictures disappearing from posts. I just keep reloading them through the Edit Posts page, but it's very frustrating. I hope the problem is fixed soon!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!