Wildflower Fence Walks

I took two walks one day along the fence line, once for enjoyment and once to repair the fence. I was amazed both times at the spectacular displays of wildflowers I saw. This wild collection for instance was Queen Anne's Lace, Red Clover, Black-Eyed Susan and Goldenrod:

 Just a few steps farther and I saw Common Boneset (more on this later in this post), Purple Loosestrife and Goldenrod:

 But what on earth were these tiny, daisy-like flowers? I took a number of photos to look them up back in the house:

 I looked them up and decided that they were probably Tradescant's Aster, a new plant for me. I later found a picture of Prairie Fleabane and thought that it might be that also. Whatever it was, it was interesting:

 This single Common Mullein stood five feet high and right next to the fence wire (I'd turned off the electricity):

 A close-up of Common Mullein's flowers:

 This was a familiar old favorite which, for most of my life, I called Coffee Grounds. The real name is Curly (or Curled) Dock, but when we were kids, we'd strip the seeds from the stalk and pretend they were coffee grounds, which they did resemble:

 I don't remember Common Boneset ever growing in my fields before, but there is a lot of it this year:

 Boneset got its name because its leaves are joined at the stalk, prompting pioneers to think it could heal broken bones. Native Americans knew better and used it for fevers and as an antibiotic/anti-viral. Some people still use it today:

 My photo of these minuscule flowers wasn't very good. They were exceedingly small and looked a lot like Lobelia flowers. I looked them up when I got back to the house and decided that they were indeed a form of Lobelia, named Indian Tobacco. They were mostly lavender color although they look white in this photo:

 Queen Anne's Lace and St. Johnswort. The day honoring St. John's Day beheading is coming up and I must remember to test the sap to see if it is red:

Roadside Wildflowers

I've had enough free time this summer to get to know more of the wild plants with which I share this part of the planet. Here's some of my more recent photos and what I learned about them. This plant, obviously in the mint family (square stems, opposite leaves, tube shaped flowers with upper and lower lips), but I've never found it in my field manual or online. This year, however, I really, really searched and finally found it in the "Pink or Red Flowers" section. I'd previously only looked in the "Blue and Purple Flowers" section because that's what they look like to me. It is called Motherwort and probably originated in Europe and southern Asia. Now, however, it is considered invasive, though the bees sure like it.

I've previously photographed the minuscule Least Hop Clover, but this one, growing by my barn door, was bigger and I assumed it was (regular) Hop Clover. When I looked it up, though, I learned that it wasn't big enough and was therefore Smaller Hop Clover. It's nice to know there are bright yellow clovers:

A favorite of mine, Ladys-Thumb Smartweed:

Another common mint which I've never been able to identify before. This time, however, I tracked it down and decided it was Hemp-Nettle":

Springing up all around my house and barn are these Smooth Hawksbeard flowers. These only get to about 12" although taller, related species along many roadsides grow to over three feet tall:

Another of my favorites, Jewelweed, has begun blooming in wet places. The sap of Jewelweed plants is soothing for Poison Ivy, Nettles and bee sting irritations. I'm sensitive to Stinging Nettles and luckily, they tend to grow together in wet soil. Jewelweed's leaves shine like silver foil when submerged in water. If you scratch off the seed coat, Jewelweed's seeds are a bright blue color and, I've read, White-Footed Mice feeding on them develop blue bellies. Also called Touch-Me-Not, their ripe seed pods explode when touched, scattering their seeds up to six feet away and leaving tightly curled shreds of pod:

You've no doubt seen this plant all over waste areas where not much else will grow. Its seed pods turn dark brown when ripe and cling to the stalk. We used to think they looked like coffee grounds when we were kids and would strip them off the stalk and pretend we were going to make coffee. Apparently the tender young leaves are edible for humans, but cattle, sheep and chickens find the leaves and seeds toxic:

Queen Anne's Lace, of course, but surrounded by a Wild Cucumber Vine in full bloom:

A wildflower tableau: Northern Bedstraw, Butter-And-Eggs and Orpine:

I've seen Sedum plants growing along a drainage ditch in front of my house for years and assumed they had been planted by someone. This year I looked them up and discovered, to my surprise, that they are an alien wildflower which grows in some rather cold, northern locations:

Orpine looks for all the world like someone planted it here, and it looks even better with a bumblebee atop its bright pink flower head:

Goldenrod began blooming early in August and will continue right through autumn. There are over 60 species and I haven't even tried to learn them. I just enjoy their beauty, at least when they are not in my pastures:

One of the first flowers our mother taught us was Nightshade, a relative of potatoes, peppers and tomatoes. Our mother allowed a wild plant to grow in her flower garden just because we kids liked it so much: