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.
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| 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.
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| Beardtongue Penstemon (Penstemon digitalis) |
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Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) right next to boardwalk
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