Friday, March 02, 2007

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. Posted by Picasa

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 Posted by Picasa

Cinquefoil - Potentilla

Moth on Cinquefoil Posted by Picasa

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.
Posted by Picasa

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!

33 comments:

HORIZON said...[Reply]

This was a great post Kerri- l have wondered for a while about my yellow vetch out back- it grows in our old coal bunker and l have not got rid of it because it is so lovely ;) Birdsfoot Trefoil (the yellow flowers)- now l know the name!
Also that is is a member of the Pea family- hmm.
l love all of these flowers and have different varieties in my garden too- i.e. Potentilla and Aster. Sorry l don't know what the white shrub is.
I would love to fill up the far back garden (the one with lots of trees) with different wild flowers. They seem to grow so well where you live Kerri- wow :)

Val said...[Reply]

I always wondered what the brilliantly yellow paddocks were that we sometimes see in the country. Not that we'll see anything but brown now...

Carole Burant said...[Reply]

Such a wonderful way to start my morning, by seeing all these beautiful wildflowers!! We got another dumping of snow yesterday so won't be seeing flowers here for a while yet! lol I've often let a weed grow in my flower bed just because it has such a pretty bloom to it:-) Those mustard fields are amazing aren't they! Have a wonderful weekend Kerri! xox

Judypatooote said...[Reply]

We all need flowers at this time of the year, just to perk us up... I might buy a bunch at the grocery store today....by the way have you ever seen a sweet pea tree....it is so cool....new plants pop up everywhere....years, and years ago we had a bunch pop up from the neighbors trees, and Jim narrowed them down to three trees....they don't get very tall maybe around 5 ft. and are covered with sweet peas....they are beautiful,and fast growing... but a real problem because they keep sprouting new trees from the roots. I wish I could find them now, for I would let them sprout up everywhere...LOL

OldRoses said...[Reply]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! What a great thing to wake up to. March is such a miserable month. Everything is brown. I needed some color. Thanks to you, I now have a spring in my step!

Christy Woolum said...[Reply]

First of all I love your blog. These pictures made me yearn for early summer. I love driving by farms and seeing vetch twining along wire fences. I am like you. I do hate to pull it up. Unfortunately it takes over quickly! I look forward to more pictures.

Susie said...[Reply]

Good morning Kerri,
I was here last night, but blogger wasn't having any part of letting me comment! (so I can relate to your blogger woes too!)
The flowers are wonderful, and you are certainly very knowledgable about their names.
We have fields of the mustard weeed here and it does looks beautiful when it blooms. I leave some of it just growing in the raised vegetable beds for color at this time of year.
We're going to try the PVC pipe on the squirrel situation next. We'll let you know if it works!!
xoxox

Greg C said...[Reply]

Great photos I love wild flowers and well any flowers for that matter. Thanks,

Greg

Layanee said...[Reply]

Love the wildflowers! I have always liked vetch. Such a beautiful purple!

I think your shrub is the dreaded multiflora rose which is on many state's invasive plant lists. It is lovely, smells great and spreads like the a bad plague. Enjoy your blog!

Annie in Austin said...[Reply]

You found beauty all over the place, Kerri - and have given the promise of color on the way to all the Northern gardeners!
The white shrub looked like some form of wild rose to me, but I don't know from multiflora.

Many plants in the Pea family can fix nitrogen in the soil and raise the fertiliy - maybe the roots of those wildflowers are enriching your soil while their images enrich our lives.

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

sonia a. mascaro said...[Reply]

Beautiful flowers, Kerri! I am enchanted with those breathtaking photos! Have a nice Sunday as well!

TJ said...[Reply]

as the snow continues to fall and the temp has plunged to 26ยบ this post has warmed me right up my friend...thank you so much!!
:-D

Chris Kreussling (Flatbush Gardener) said...[Reply]

I second Ginger's appraisal. The white-flowering shrub looks like multiflora rose, an invasive plant. Not to be a downer, several of the flowers blooming here, beautiful as they are, are considered invasive.

You can find out more about plants invasive in New York state at the Invasive Plant Council.

Merle said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri ~~ What a lot of work you put into this post and the photos are lovely as well as all the info. Well
done Kerri -- it's a great post.
Sorry I have got behind with my replies. Sorry about the wingdigs, and good on you for remembering how to fix them. Glad you enjoyed a lot of my posts, thanks for your comments. Tomorrow is the big day to hopefully fix my kidney stone problem. Take care, Love, Merle.

Alice said...[Reply]

Fantastic posting, Kerri. You certainly go to a lot of effort to provide all the extra information that make your posts so interesting.

I loved all the green flowers! Oh, they're not flowers - that's grass? So that's what colour grass is supposed to be ... lol.

I'm amazed at the variety and profusion of wildflowers in your area - many, many more than we have. I'm sure the rain has something to do with that, and the fact that so much of the land is no longer under agricultural production.

Wonderful posting altogether, Kerri. Thank you for taking the time to compile it.

Have a wonderful week.

roybe said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri, sorry I havn't dropped by for a while. These are beautiful wild flower shots. I've never seen a mustard field before, yes the view from above would look spectacular I'm sure. In England they have lot's of fields of Rape which also has a yellow flower. You must be glad that Spring is just around the corner after such a harsh winter.

Cris said...[Reply]

I love wildflowers and the ones you pictured here I can't tell which one is prettier!

Geraldo said...[Reply]

Kerri,
Thanks for the pictures and for all the information about the wildflowers. Regardless of whether they're invasive or not, all of them are beautiful!

Anonymous said...[Reply]

Such wonderful pictures just leaving me with the yearning for some buds to show up here.

Can't wait for spring.

Take care,
Connie

Mountain Mama said...[Reply]

These are lovely. Several are growing in my flower gardens and were purchased as plants or seed here. Isn't it interesting that what is a wildflower in some areas, is considered domsticated in others.
Several years ago I joined a seed exchange and receiver many wonderful new flowers.
I am adding you to my links. I like your flowery blog. Thanks for sharing.

JunieRose2005 said...[Reply]

I love the wildflowers of your area!
All the pictures are so pretty!

Junie

Mountain Mama said...[Reply]

I forgot to say I am a Snapdragon. I like that little flower test and I think it's pretty accurate too, certainly in my case it is. LOL
"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh

Charley "Apple" Grabowski said...[Reply]

I love following the progress of the "ditch lilies" from the time the tips of the leaves first poke through. They will be a more welcome site than ever this year. I have an ancestor who was hated for bring mustard to a new town. I know it's considered a weed but it is so pretty massed like that.

I hope the wind wasn't too bad down your way today.

Terri said...[Reply]

I may use your blog as my own little botony book. You seem to have many of the "flowers" that we had on the farm. Drawings in books never look quite the same to me...but a recognize many plants from the fields in Yates and Ontario counties! Thanks.
Terri
P.S. It's 13 degrees here today! How is it there?

Anonymous said...[Reply]

What a beautiful post. It is still deep winter here, but now I am longing for spring and more colours.

Merle said...[Reply]

Hi again Kerri ~~ Driving with Grandma was a good one and gave a good laugh (I could hardly type it)
Thank you so much Kerri for your good wishes and concern for my health. I am glad to be home, but still very tired. Didn't get much sleep the night in hospital, but am not doing too much. Take care Kerri and thank you, Love, Merle.

Memories Catcher said...[Reply]

Beautiful photos!Great colors and light.I like it!Good job!

Boxwood Cottage said...[Reply]

I love your wild flower post Kerri, it brings back memories of lovely summer days *sigh* I've posted lots of summer garden pics today as well. I'm sorry to read that you have probs with disapearing photos, sounds strange. Hopefully these probs are over now! xox

Reflection Through The Seasons said...[Reply]

Hello Kerri...
I’m sorry I haven’t visited for a while, like you, life is hectic and I don’t know where the days disappear to. We’ve had some lovely sunny days, so of course I have enjoyed being out in the garden. I see you have had severe weather up until the end of February, I hope it has improved, however, your snowy pictures do look lovely and the children as well as grownups love to play out in it.

I have so much enjoyed your wild spring flowers, it truly warms the heart to see such beauty. The colours in the third picture reminded me of the beautiful meadows full of spring flowers I saw in Switzerland. I shall have to look some of those pictures out.

I love the fields of mustard and I love the smell of it too, I know it is a problem to many people, my son and daughter included who suffer from as asthma & hay fever. We don't see fields of mustard in Wales, but in Gloucestershire they were a common sight and looked magnificent. Have a good weekend Kerri. Marion

Anonymous said...[Reply]

Beautiful flowers, Kerri. You have a lot to look forward to, even though it's all under snow right now.

You mentioned that your wildflower photos were taken in June. Our wilflower season arrives so much earlier, usually starting in late March, and is pretty much over by June. April and May are peak months here for bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, blanketflower, pink evening primrose, etc. Your photo series has inspired me to try to get some photos of our own wildflowers this spring.

Linda said...[Reply]

Absolutely amazing Kerri. You do such a wonderful job with these pictures. I love flowers, and these are all just lovely.
Our wild flowers are already beginning to bloom, but I'm afraid if we don't get some rain they won't do vey well.
Have a great weekend.

LindaD said...[Reply]

Thank you for all these - I love the vetch's too.. That blue is amazing..Nice for a glimpse of summer.

Judy Birmingham (Seeing Anew Blog) said...[Reply]

Kerri, I find it amazing what a morale lift it is to just look at photos of flowers, and yours are gorgeous. After another dose of "wintry mix" yesterday, your wildflower photos were a joy to see. Now today we saw the sun (and it was almost odd to see it after two weeks of rain in France and England, and then home to "wintry mix" again in Ohio.) Even so, we have crocuses blooming, daffodils and hyacinths coming up, and our pansies made it through the whole winter amazingly enough.