Native Plant Garden, NYBG - May 29, 2016

New York Botanical Garden's Native Plant Garden on May 29, 2016

guest post by Joel Nevis y Flores

I did not give a tour but was at the NYBG with friends enjoying their rose garden among other things. Grass pollens had arrived and I briefly lost my voice to allergy coughing. The temperature reached 93F and the weather was beautifully sunny despite the forecasts. The robin's nest in the shadbush from last week appeared empty and we noticed an immature robin not far away by the native border.

Plenty of visitors at the NPG entrance

Fledgling American robin

Most of the spring ephemerals have finished their floral display; consequently visitors sped through the woodland garden rather quickly, often failing to note such late bloomers as Kentucky lady slipper. On the other hand the sarracenias looking very colorful in the wetland garden; it is would be smart to find that sign about carnivorous plants from last year (or was it the previous year) to turn a pretty flower experience into a learning experience.

Amsonia
Anemonella thalictroides
Aquilegia canadensis 
Asarum canadense 
Baptisia australis
Baptisia carolina “Moonlight”
Baptisia alba
Calycanthus floridus 
Carex muskingumensis 
Carex plantaginea 
Cerastium arvense
Chionanthus virginicus 
Clematis ochroleuca  (flower and seed)
Comptonia peregrina
Coreopsis
Cornus sericea  in the rear of the native border
Cypripedium kentuckiense 

Cypripedium kentuckiense

Dicentra eximia
Diphylleia cymosa
Erigeron pulchellus 
Geranium maculatum 
Geum trifolium  Prairie Smoke seeds
Gillenia trifoliata 
Heuchera longiflora 
Hybrid Pitcher Plant Sarracenia x areolata 

Hybrid Pitcher Plant Sarracenia x areolata

Iris cristata
Iris prismatica 
Juncus effusus 
Kalmia angustifolia
Leucothoe axillaris
Magnolia virginiana 
Maianthemum  (Canada Mayflower)
Meehania cordata  maybe

Is this Meehania cordata?

Monarda bradburiana 
Orontium aquaticum - flower spikes are slipping below the waterline so I assume they are nearing the end of the blooming phase
Osmorhiza claytonii
Osmunda regalis
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum 
Parthenium integrifolium
Penstemon digitalis 
Penstemon hirsitus in both dwarf and regular forms
Phacelia bipinnatifolia 
Polemonium 
Polemonium reptans “Touch of Class”
Polygonatum 
Primula meadia - a few still around
Rhododendon "Choptank rose"
Rhododendron “Catawbiense Album” 

Rhododendron “Catawbiense Album”

Rhododentron "Marydel"
Sarracenia alata 
Sarracenia flava 
Sarracenia leucophylla 
Sedum nevii
Sisyrinchium angustifolium 
Smilacina racemosa 
Stylophorum diphyllum 
Tiarella
Tradescantia - flowers were closed in the full sunlight as they like to do; you need to see them in the morning or on a cloudy day
Trillium recurvatum
Trillium flexipes
Trillium luteum 
Vaccinium are forming loads of fruit that the birds will enjoy
Vicia

Vicia (Cow vetch)

Viola walteri
Zizia

A few mysteries to me. The first may be cardamine -- the flowers look like it and the leaves were weakly toothed.

May be cardamine

in the meadow

in the wet woodland not far from the boardwalk

The non-native, invasive Chelidonium majus (Celandine) is going to seed over by the river birch screen. And the Rumex acetosa (red sorrel), though no longer in bloom, were thriving.


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Native Plant Garden: May 28, 2015

From my archives:  Native Plant Garden, New York Botanical Garden
Marcia Strean

May 28, 2015

Though a hot and humid, day, cloudy turning to sun, a good group of visitors on my tour. Most of the plants in bloom are the same as the previous week, which are listed, half a dozen removed because they finished blooming, but newly blooming this week are Spiranthes (Ladies’ Tresses) by the Pitcher Plants, Field Hawkweed (Hieracium), Beardtongues (Penstemon digitalis etc.), Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia), Iris (numerous species), Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis), a few Dutchman’s Breeches, Sheep Laurel (Kalmia augustifolia), Robin’s Plantain (Erigeron pulchellus) which I forgot to list last week, Philadelphia Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus), Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Wild Bleeding Heart, Wild Geranium, Golden Alexanders, Wild Yellow indigo Baptisia, Wild Blue Indigo, Columbine, Bowmans Root (Gillenia trifoliatus), Narrowleaf Blue-eyed Grass, Blueberry (a few flowers), Bluestar, Shooting Star, Foamflower, False Solomon’s Seal, Yellow Trillium (Trillium luteum), Lady Slipper, American Umbrellaleaf (limited flowers), Trillium (hybrid double), Solomon’s Seal, Rue Anemone, Wild Ginger, Phlox, Cinnamon Fern, Royal Fern, Azaleas, Virginia Bluebells (one flower—“beggars can’t be choosers”), Pitcher Plants yellow and red, Rhododendron, Common Rush Juncus effusus, Leatherleaf, Wild Quinine, Spiderwort, Cow Vetch, Prairie Smoke, Red Clover, Dwarf Beardtongue, and Queen Columbine.

A few docents indicated an interest in the “stories.”

Wild Bleeding Heart: the honeybee’s proboscis is 6 mm, too short to reach the nectar; requires the bumblebee with an 8 millimeter proboscis to fertilize the plant.

Wild Bleeding Heart (Dicentra eximia)

Solomon’s Seal so-called because the root is in the shape of the seal Solomon used to wax seal his missives. False Solomon’s Seal called false because it did not have the expected medicinal properties.

Beardtongue has five stamens, one of which is fuzzy or “bearded,” so it gets its name from that. More interesting, the many species of Beardtongue are each visited by different insects and do not hybridize. 

Beardtongue Penstemon (Penstemon digitalis)

Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) right next to boardwalk 

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Wild Sweet Cicely Osmorhiza claytonii

Wild Sweet Cicely Osmorhiza claytonii is blooming at the Native Plant Garden, New York Botanical Garden, on May 26, 2016.

Osmorhiza is a genus of perennial herbs, known generally as sweet cicely, sweetcicely, or sweetroot. Most species are native to North America, but some grow in South America and Asia. 

Description: light green lacy leaves, delicate umbels of white flowers and the long, pointed seeds, smell of sweet aniseed when crushed.

Some species are used for medicinal purposes, but have dangerous lookalikes. The seeds of this plant have barbs on the end allowing them to stick to clothing, fur, or feathers.

Osmorhiza claytonii

American Indians used the roots of sweet cicely as a panacea; tonic for upset stomach, to ease child birth; the root was poulticed on boils, and wounds; root tea used as an eye wash.

Folk medicine uses include, an expectorant, tonic for coughs and for stomachaches.


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Native Plant Garden - May 26, 2016

New York Botanical Garden, Wednesday, May 26, 2016

Two of the negatives about the NYBG for me occurred today: unbearable traffic which I dealt with by following the GPS all through Fordham Road in the Bronx to get to the Garden, and 94 degrees (at home) which I dealt with by sweating. As long as there are still Wild Ginger flowers, gotta get there.

Katherine who is a smart young woman as determined as I to know the name of every blooming plant (you’d get a different meanng if you were English) joined me today, and a couple (who came because of seeing the sign) very interested in plants that make the tour worthwhile.

Instead of repeating the whole list from May 20th, the plants new this week are:

In the approach to the NPG entrance, Wild Indigo, yellow, Baptisia carolina “moonlight”

Kentucky Lady Slipper looking robust and blooming later than the other lady slippers; Colycanthus florida; Virginia Jumpseed; Bowman’s Root; Heuchera; Lance-leaved Coreopsis; White Violets.

Meadow Sweet is budding, as is Inkberry.

No longer finding blooming Bellwort, Hawthorne Tree, Camassia scilloides, most Trillium are fading,

I’ve asked Curator Michael Hagen (out of the office until May 31, so hang on) to identify two plants:

1) A number of these plants about 2’ high,  with 1/4” white flowers, stamens protruding, opposite toothed leaves. [Michael Hagen suggests: "Pretty sure other plant is wild sweet cicely, Osmorhiza claytonii though I will check when i get back on Tuesday."]

Osmorhiza claytonii 

2) A perhaps Carex that looks like peas in a pod. Sign says "Carex plantaginea" [Michael Hagen affirms: "The sign is right. That is Carex plantaginea. Young foliage is attractively puckered."]

Carex plantaginea

I won’t be at the Garden next week because of cataract surgery so if anyone is as nutty as I and would send a list of changes for the week, that would be great.


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Native Plant Garden on May 22, 2016

Native Plant Garden, New York Botanical Garden, May 22, 2016

guest post by Joel A. Nevis y Flores

An overcast day with some raindrops as I entered by the Mosholu gate, where the day's events features the ongoing Impressionist exhibition but did not mention my two tours of the native plant garden. No wonder that no one was there at 12:30p for my first tour -- though a native plant enthusiast from Westchester arrived in a few minutes for a really good interaction. I had eight people for the second tour at 2:30p so maybe signs were put up by the main entrance after all. The temperature started off in the high 50s rising to about 71F, with predominant pollens from oak, mulberry and the grasses. 

With the warmer, drier weather in the afternoon, and after visitors had seen the Impressionist exhibit at the Conservatory, a number of people meandered through the Native Plant Garden. A few were alarmed by a garter snake near the white baptisias next to the entrance pavilion. But everyone who noticed was intrigued by the robin's nest in the shadbushes and by the birds bathing by the Elizabeth Knight Britton plaque (robins, bluejays, yellow warblers). And the chipmunks were extremely active that day. 

hungry robin chick in nest

American robin in shadbush, darting from nest to distraction attention

Eastern chipmunk (Tamius striatus)

Here is what was in bloom or of interest that day:

Amelanchier canadensis - Shadbush
Amsonia tabernaemontana - Bluestar
Anemonella thalictroides - Rue anemone
Aquilegia canadensis - Eastern red columbine
Aquilegia chrysantha - Golden columbine
Arisaema triphyllum - Jack in the pulpit

Arisaema triphyllum

Asarum canadense - Wild ginger
Baptisia alba - White false indigo
Baptisia australis - False indigo
Baptisia carolina - Yellow wild indigo, by the native border's dry-stacked stones

Baptisia carolina

Calycanthus floridus - Carolina allspice, sweetshrub

Calycanthus floridus

Camassia scilloides - Eastern camas, wild hyacinth
Carex - sedge (which species is growing in the wetland garden?)
Cerastium arvense - Hairy chickweed
Chionanthus virginicus  - Fringetree
Chrysogonum virginianum - Green and gold
Clematis ochroleuca  - Curlyhead
Cornus sericea - Red osier dogwood
Crataegus viridis -Green hawthorn
Cypripedium parviflorum - Yellow lady's slipper, moccasin flower
Cypripedium parviflorum parviflorum - Lesser lady's slipper orchid
Delphinium tricorne - Larkspur delphinium
Dicentra eximia - Wild bleeding heart
Diphylleia cymosa  - Umbrellaleaf
Erigeron pulchellus -Daisy fleabane

Erigeron pulchellus

Geranium maculatum - Cranesbill geranium
Geum triflorum  - Prairie smoke

Geum triflorum

Gillenia trifoliata -Bowman's root, Indian Physic, American Ipecac

Gillenia trifoliata

Heuchera longiflora - Longflower alumroot

Heuchera longiflora

Houstonia caerulea -Azure bluets
Iris cristata - Dwarf crested iris
Iris hookeri - Beachhead Iris
Kalmia angustifolia - Lambkill
Kalmia latifolia -Mountain laurel
Maianthemum stellatum - Starry false Solomon's seal
Maianthemum racemosum - False Solomon's seal
Mertensia virginiana -Virginia bluebells - one left still
Monarda bradburiana - Eastern beebalm

Monarda bradburiana

mushrooms on the rosebay trail
Orontium aquaticum - Goldenclub
Osmunda regalis  - American Royal fern
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum - Cinnamon fern
Parthenium integrifolium - Wild quinine
Penstemon hirsutus - Hairy beardtongue
Penstemon - some white ones I could not get close to to find out which kinds they are (probably Penstemon digitalis)

Penstemon

Phacelia bipinnatifolia - Purple phacelia, fernleaf phacelia
Phlox divaricata - Blue phlox
Phlox stolonifera - Creeping phlox
Podophyllum peltatum - Mayapple
Polemonium - I never can determine if Jacob's ladder is Polemonium caeruleum or Polemonium reptant
Polemonium caeruleum - Jacob's ladder
Polygonatum biflorum  - Solomon's Seal
Primula meadia -Shootingstars
Prosartes lanuginose - Yellow mandarin, Yellow fairybells
Rhododendon choptank rose
Rhododendron minus minus - Piedmont rhododendron, Carolina rhododendron

Rhododendron minus var. minus

Rhododendron My Mary

Rhododendron 'My Mary'

Rhododendron - a number of hybrids
Sarracenia  - a number of species and hybrids I can never tell apart

Sarracenia

Sarracenia leucophylla  - Crimson pitcherplant, Purple trumpet
Sarracenia leucophylla x oreophila -Hybrid pitcherplant
Sarracenia oreophila - Green pitcherplant

Sarracenia oreophila

Sarracenia x areolata - a naturally occurring hybrid between the Pale Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia alata) and the White-top Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia leucophylla)
Sedum nevii - Nevius stonecrop
Sisyrinchium angustifolium - Narrow-leaf blue-eyed grass
Stylophorum diphyllum - Celandine Poppy
Tiarella cordifolia  - Foamflower
Tradescantia - Spiderwort

Tradescantia

Trillium erecta - Red trillium
Trillium recurvatum - Bloody butcher, Prairie trillium 
Trillium flexipes - Bent trillium
Trillium grandiflorum - White trillium and double white trillium
Trillium luteum -Yellow trillium
Uvularia grandiflora - Bellwort
Vaccinium corymbosum - Highbush blueberry - mostly fruit but a flower or two left
Viola walteri - Walter's violet
Viola blanda -Sweet white violet
Zizia aptera - Golden Alexanders

Also non-natives Taraxacum official (dandelion), Rumex acetosella (red sorrel), Oxalis stricta (yellow wood sorrel)

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NPG May 20, 2016

NPG May 20, 2016
Marcia Strean

No signage yet when I got there before 10:00 AM. It was lovely to have relaxed time to list all the blooming plants.

Sunny, pleasant at 10:00, going to 77 degrees, Short-sleeved tour guide shirt appropriate by the 11:00 tour. First time that I can ever remember doing a NPG tour on a Friday. Whether it was the perfect weather, a new show (Impressionists) at the Garden, or the day of the week, but there were 12 on the tour, and, also unusual for me, a second tour at 12:30, with more than 17 on the tour.  Shoulda brought my loudspeaker...

Marcia Strean leading a tour

We did get a follow-up report from James that at this time there is no plan to provide Garden leadership for the school groups coming through, but I found it painful that, literally, hundreds of school kids came walking through with teachers and aides or parents and never heard a word about what they were seeing. Whenever I could, I asked the teacher if I could tell them something, and the teachers were extremely grateful, each time saying they knew nothing. I have an idea: Instead of a docent leading a whole class through the whole NPG, several of us stationed around could explain at their level.

school groups in the Native Plant Garden 

school group in the Native Plant Garden

Plants are listed as you approach the NPG:

Wild Geranium

Golden alexanders

Wild bleeding heart

Gardener John said what I called Fairywand is Camassia.  Live and learn.

Baptisia alba

Baptisia australis

Already there is the dark green fullness of summer.

Columbine

Phlox

Turn right onto the Gravel-Lok:

Bluestar

Shooting star

Fleabane

Plume Solomon's seal

Foamflower

Yellow trillium

Yellow lady slipper

Jacob’s ladder

Sedum

Bluets

Mayapple apple

White trillium/Bent trillium T. Flexipes

Kalmia latifolia

Tiny bud on inkberry

Ferns to note xmas, mickel, maidenhair, marginal wood fern, ostrich, royal

Osmunda regalis American royal fern

Go up steps:

Azalea

Curlyhead behind the bench

Rhododendron

One lavender four petalled flower by water pipe?

Grass and Sedges flowering

Wild ginger. Soon gone, show while it is there!

Celandine poppy

Shrub with bell-like white flowers    photo

White wild geranium

Dirt path continue past fallen tree

Visitor pointed out the Green'nGold Chrisogonum along the dirt path

Turn back on the Gravel-Lok:

Common Reed Juncus effusus

Pitcher plants

Iris

Back on boardwalk:

Osmundastrum cinnamomeum Cinnamon fern

Cinnamon fern

Robin’s fleabane

Rue anemone

Starry Solomon's Seal

Gardener John watering says not fairywand but a bulb camassia

Camassia scilloides Atlantic camas, wild hyacinth

Back to entrance boardwalk

Orontium in third water section

Graves Beach plum

Up Gravel-Lok toward split rock

Another bee in my bonnet: Agitate for paths in meadow

Cornus sericea Red Osier Dogwood

Spiderwort

Wild Quinine

Prairie smoke

Beardtongue dwarf hairy "pygmaeus" 

Penstemon hirsutus Beardtongue dwarf hairy "pygmaeus" 

Big buds on coreopsis lanceolata

Little yellow flowers are clover

Fringe tree

Fringe tree Chionanthus virginicus

Narrowleaved blue-eyed grass

Narrowleaved blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium angustifolium

Green hawthorn tree

Iris cristata

Chickweed, hairy

Larkspur

Umbrella Plant

Diphylleia cymosa Umbrella leaf

Yellow Mandarin Prosartes and Bellwort neighbors showing their somewhat similar yellow flowers

Viola walteri

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