Category: Plants

There is so much to see on the trails in mid-September! Midwestern tickseed-sunflowers are at their peak right now. Goldenrod is approaching its peak bloom. But there are so many more flowers out there right now! Here’s a list of what I’m seeing: What flowers are you seeing?

What’s been happening on the trail for the last couple of weeks? Have you noticed all the different yellow, daisy-like flowers? I wrote a blog about them here. I have seen kidneyleaf rosinweed, purpledisc sunflowers and small-headed sunflowers blooming on the trails in the last couple of weeks. The midwestern tickseed-sunflowers, swamp sunflowers, rough sunflowers,… Continue reading Field Report- September 2, 2024

What has been happening on the trails in September? We’ve had over 12 inches of rain this month, and a lot of interesting things have been happening. As expected, the midwestern tickseed-sunflowers put on quite a show during the first half of the month. The common partridge pea was also at peak bloom at the… Continue reading Field Report- September 30, 2024

What flowers are in bloom in January? It’s hard to believe that any flowers bloom in January. Maybe you’ve noticed a few dandelions here and there. Is anything else blooming? Yes! Common chickweed is a tiny white flower that you might see on a sunny winter day. Bird’s eye speedwell is a very small blue… Continue reading Flowers in January

While not traditional holiday flowers, the colors in this scene made me think of Christmas. This is trumpet creeper and Japanese honeysuckle on the Shiloh Greenway last June.

During the late summer and early fall, you can find goldenrod (Solidago sp.) everywhere. There are dozens of types of goldenrods that grow in the piedmont of North Carolina. I’ve spent the last few weeks trying to find and properly identify as many species as I can. Unless otherwise noted, all of these plants can… Continue reading Goldenrod Identification

Have you ever seen something like this? It’s a goldenrod plant in the late spring, before flowering. The top of the plant is growing a flower-like cluster of leaves. This is called a goldenrod rosette gall. An insect called a goldenrod gall midge (Rhopalomyia solidaginis) has laid its eggs on the top of the goldenrod… Continue reading Goldenrod Rosette Gall

Have you noticed some green leaves poking under the leaf litter in the woods? Maybe you have seen the leaves of the cranefly orchid. The bottom of the leaf is purple! Remember where you see these leaves! By the time the orchid blooms in the summer, the leaves are gone. The flowers are small and… Continue reading Green Leaves in the Winter Woods

The tall goldenrod seedheads look like snowy Christmas trees to me. Wishing you and your family a joyous holiday season.

I was surprised to see a henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) with flowers on the American Tobbacco Trail yesterday. Henbit flowers all year, but it is seen most often in the early spring.