Category: Plants

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

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

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.

One of my favorite springtime flowers is blue eyed grass. The leaves of this plant look like grass, and it’s called a grass, but it isn’t grass. Blue eyed grass is actually a member of the Iris family. For the untrained eye, there are two different kinds of blue eyed grass. The first is annual… Continue reading Identifying Blue Eyed Grass

It’s easy to see the common partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) flowers this time of year. If you look carefully, you can find its smaller relative, the sensitive partridge pea (Chamaecrista nictitans). Common partridge pea flowers are about one inch wide. The flower petals are about the same size. The sensitive partridge pea flowers are less… Continue reading Identifying Partridge Peas

It’s berry season! The spring flowers have given way to summer fruit. What fruits have you seen this year?