More Native Wildflowers in Bloom
The Daily Bucket is a regular feature of the Backyard Science group. It is a place to note any observations of the natural world. Birds, blooms, bugs and more, all are worthy additions to the bucket. Please let us know what is going on around you in the comments, with location as close as you care to share.
In last week's bucket, I showcased Coralbean (Erythrina herbacea). Here's a wider shot of the one group in prime flowering.
On the other side of the woods this coralbean bloomed earlier and is now making pods. Looks like I will get plenty of the red peas this year. The trick to growing these is to scarify the seed before planting - just chip a bit of the hard shell. In nature they need a lot of time and a good steady soak.
More wildflowers below the fold - some fading, some persistent, some not yet open.
Wild Petunias (Ruellia caroliniensis) - these will bloom all summer, one flower at a time. Plants will steadily grow and get a foot high.
Indian Pink (Spigelia marilandica) - No doubt this goes by other names but this is how I learned it when I first saw a huge colony at Torreya State Park. This is the very last bloom of the year; here's hoping it seeds and spreads.
Tread Softly (Cnidoscolus stimulosus) - this has been blooming for a month and will go thru fall. Note the seed pod forming. Everyone calls it a nettle but we know it is not. Check this tho, another name for it is Finger Rot.
Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron annuus) - This is growing in the shade and has more leaves than the ones growing out in the yard (field? almost a meadow?)
The ones out in the sun sometimes get a lavender tinge to them. This has been flowering for over a month and will go well into fall.
This is a weed. I am sure it has a name, grows up to 3' tall, no flower to speak of but it does make these pretty round seedheads. Unlike the Fleabane, I pull them up and dispose of the seeds.
Redring milkweed (Asclepias variegata) - getting near the end of these. I am waiting to see if I get any pods. There is a high demand for milkweed in the native plant trade.
Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) - not quite open. Lovely milkweed and highly desired for butterfly gardens. I got 2 pods from this plant last year and passed them on to Native Nuseries in Tallahassee.
Anglepod Milkvine (Matelea gonocarpus altho Wunderlin refers to it as Gonolobus suberosus.)
More about it here.
I got them everywhere in my yard and woods. Tiny blooms, maybe a quarter inch but hundreds of them once the vines are established. 99.44% of the blooms fall off if the right beetle does not come visit. They love to climb so I have brush piles for them. The leaves on this perennial can get up to 6" or if conditions are not right, it only has a few 1 inch leaves. Pods are like milkweeds and open late fall to disperse in the wind. Seeds seem to be viable for a few seasons.
Another warm day around Tallahassee, actually HOT altho I still have a window open so I can hear outside. Mid-60s overnight and high again in upper-80s. There was a bit of talk about catching a thunderstorm, definitely later in the week.
So, what's blooming around you?