JACKSON M. ABBOTT WETLAND RESERVE ON 9-15-21 - PART 2

Continuing my post from yesterday...

I am not sure how old this turtle was but not one of the big ones I have been seeing lately.

I was trying to get more photos but it jumped/dropped/plonked unceremoniously into the water seconds after these were taken.

It was a hot day, not the hottest we have had, but very humid. Feeling a bit like a wilted lettuce comes to mind.

A pretty one, this is the Purple false foxglove (botanical name Agalinis purpurea), and its other name is Purple gerardia.  

It is a native to the eastern United States and Canada. The caterpillars of the Common Buckeye butterfly feed on the foliage.   

These yellow flowers are called Bearded beggarticks (botanical name Bidens aristosa).  Also known as Western tickseed and Tickseed beggarticks.  It is related to the sunflower family.

I am always drawn to grasses.  Very pretty!  This is Hairy wild rye (botanical name Elymus villosus).  You might also know it as Silky wild rye.

Here is the same stalk of grass with the Bearded beggarticks.  The Hairy wild rye is a native grass of the eastern USA.  It favors damp woodlands and small meadows.  It does not attract insects as it is wind-pollinated.  Birds seldom eat the seeds and the plant is not palatable to wildlife or livestock, because the bristles on the seed heads are so coarse and can injure the animals.

More photos of the New england aster.  It is an easy-to-care perennial.  I would like to grow them in planters and was happy to find that they can be potted in well-drained compost.

Like most asters, it blooms late in the season.  It provides a critical fall nectar source for pollinators, especially Monarchs as they stock up for their Fall migration to Mexico.

This is definitely a place we would like to come back to, and our first impression was a very good one.

We had taken our photos, gotten our exercise and okay, no speed walking for us. We rested on a couple of the benches around the lake and watched whatever came into our view.  The turtles, the dragonflies, the butterflies and all the pretty flowers.  

But now it was time to go home.  

Getting out and enjoying our surroundings can be the best medicine, and so soothing for body and mind.

This fits in with the way I walk.

"One step at a time is good walking."

~Chinese Proverb~

The last plant I am sharing is Linden viburnum (botanical name Viburnum dilatatum).  Its other name is Linden arrowwood and it is a native of eastern Asia.  It will grow from 6-8 feet tall,  blooms from late spring to early summer and produces bright red berries in the fall.  Its dark green foliage turns to shades of bronze and burgundy-red in the fall.  They attract a variety of birds.  

If you ever see anything from any of my posts that you think I have misidentified, I am always happy to be helped with the correct ID, and will change accordingly.  All this research I do is a learning experience, and most definitely a fun hobby of mine.

Thank you for coming along on our walk, and I hope your day is a great one.