A FEW WILDFLOWERS FOR YOU TODAY

Star of Bethlehem - Ornithogalum umbellatum. It grows in clumps with hollow, dark-green leaves.  Easily confused with wild garlic, but lacks a distinctive odor. It blooms in April to mid June.Golden Ragwort - Packera aurea - Aster family (Asteraceae). This is a perennial wildflower and blooms from mid to late spring and lasts for about three weeks.  The Northern Dewberry, Common Dewberry - Rubus flagellaris. It is part of the rose family and its most active growth is from mid-spring to early summer.Buttercup - Ranunculus species. Most bloom spring through to Fall, with some lasting until frost.Virginia Waterleaf - Hydrophyllum virginianum. It is native to Virginia. A perennial herb commonly found in moist, wooded areas of eastern North America, including Virginia. Its young leaves and shoots are edible and were traditinally used by the Shawnee and other Native American tribes as a potherb or in salads. The leaves are typically eaten cooked, but can also be enjoyed raw when young, which is why they were used for a ‘salad'.Sweet White Violet - Viola blanda. It has fragrant white flowers and blooms from April until the end of summer.  Prefers damp woods and moist meadows.

Daisy Fleabane - Erigeron annuus

Blooms in May up until frost.  

Thanks for looking and 

I hope your day is going well.

A WALK ALONG THE LIMBERLOST TRAIL, SKYLINE DRIVE

 On our walk along Limberlost Trail (milepost 43 on Skyline Drive) in June 2014, there were Azure Bluets everywhere, a beautiful sight.  Another name for this pretty little flower is Quaker Ladies and its botanical name is Houstonia caerulea.  They are native to eastern Canada and the eastern United States, about half an inch across and very small compared to other flowers we saw.  Spread like a continuous carpet of tiny blooms, they were a delight for the eyes.  They attract butterflies and bees and are commonly found growing wild in forests but can be found in almost all grassy biomes.  Look out for it in spring, summer and the fall.

 Next we have the European columbine, also known as Granny's Nightcap, Granny's bonnet and Common columbine. Its botanical name is Aquilegia vulgaris. It attracts butterflies, bumblebees and hummingbirds and blooms for an extended time beginning in early spring.  

It thrives in sun or shade and will self-seed.  Buntings and finches apparently love the seed.  An interesting bit of trivia is that Ancient Romans considered the European columbine to be sacred for the goddess Venus.  It is toxic however, and can cause adverse health effects on animals, if they ingest the plant material.  The name Columbine evolved from the Latin name, columbina, meaning a dove-like plant.  

Next we have a White Trillium and the only one found that day.  Trillium are members of the lily family.  It is known by several other names, Great white-trillium, Snow trillium, White wake-robin, Large-flowered trillium, American Wake Robin, Large white wood lily and American Wood Lily.  Its botanical name is Trillium grandiflorum. 

The colors of the flowers vary and there are white, yellow, pink, red and purple.  The leaves can also be variegated and patterned.  It blooms in spring and summer and grows in the shaded areas of a garden and needs daily care.  It originated from North America and East Asia, and likes cool, moist habitats.  The leaves of this plant are cooked and eaten by Native Americans, but the root stalks are utilized as herbal medicine.  

The flower in the above photo is White Baneberry, also known as Doll's-Eyes, White cohosh, Baneberry, Necklace weed, Toadroot and White beads.  Its botanical name is Actaea pachypoda.  An herbaceous perennial that can grow from 1 to 2 feet tall, it blooms from spring to summer.  It is a mildly toxic for humans, but can cause serious health problems for cats, dogs and horses.  However, it is harmless to birds. 

This yellow flower is called Golden Ragwort, also 

known as Golden groundsel and its botanical name is Packera aurea.  It is a member of the Aster family and its nectar and pollen attract small bees and flies.  A perennial, Golden Ragwort is a native to eastern North America, and you will find it blooming in the spring and summer.

I tried my best to ID each flower correctly, but if you think I am incorrect on any of them, please let me know.  I still enjoy learning about these things.

BITS AND BOBS

I am sharing a few photos that I have had in my folder and hopefully there are no repeats.  I haven't been to any gardens lately, so I am glad I can share these.  Hopefully there are no repeats.The bridge, the Canada Goose and the reflection of people, was taken at Meadowlark Gardens on our last trip.  I love watching the few geese that take up residence.  I don't think too many are encouraged but it's very nice to see the few.The Golden Ragwort is always very pretty.  I am not sure what the white blooms in the middle are.

I am thankful that we still have a few trees at home.  We hope to replace the ones we had to take down last year.  I saw a hawk sitting on a branch a couple of weeks ago in our neighbor's yard, but nothing since.  I always keep my camera with the zoom lens on the table next to where I am sitting, just in case.  This was the only photo I could get before it flew away seconds later. Unfortunately, its face was obscured. You may remember I stopped filling the bird feeders and the smaller birds have been scarce.  The photos of our feathered friends are before I stopped feeding them during the summer months.  I find myself eager for the autumn as I miss them. 

 The Catbird is always a welcome visitor.  I cropped the one above and here is a closer look.The Mourning Doves were enjoying the rain.  At least I think they were, they didn't seem to want to seek shelter.Enjoying a good preening session too, still raining.This is a female Rose-breasted Grossbeak.  I never did see her mate.  The first time I have ever seen one in our garden was this year. 

Family stayed overnight recently. We enjoyed catching up as it had been a while and it was a fun visit.

I got these last two from Pinterest.

That's about it. Thank you for your visit.  I hope you are staying happy, healthy and I wish you all a great weekend.

LATEST WALK AROUND GREEN SPRING GARDENS ON 4-15-22 - PART 2

Continuing our walk at the garden, we have just left the ponds and are walking through a wooded area.We eventually turn right, where the path takes us up to the flatter part of the garden.  First there is a steep incline through more trees, and at the top is the flatter part of the garden, which is more manicured.  I like these equally.  There is always much to see and enjoy in both areas.  For instance, before we cross the stream...

Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum), also called American mandrake, Wild mandrake, Ground lemon and Mandrake.   They are found in shady locations just like the one we were in when we found it.  You can find them in forests and riverbanks.  We were in a wooded area and near a creek.  It is not poisonous to the touch, though the unripe fruit is toxic.  The mayapple berries are eaten by box turtles and mammals such as opossums, raccoons and skunks. Its symbolism is friendship, happiness and positive emotions, prosperity and good fortune.  This website has very interesting information and photos of various stages.  

The interesting photo above is the Hobble-Bush (Viburnum lantanoides), also known as Witch-Hobble, Aler-Leaved Viburnum and Moosewood.  It is easily confused with wild hydrangea. Either may have larger flowers around the outer edge of the cluster, though this is more common in hobblebush. Individual tiny hydrangea flowers have 8 or more stamens, while hobblebush has 5. The shape and texture of the leaves are different.  A very interesting website here.

White trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) is a plant I talked about at this link.   It is also called Great white trillium, Snow trillium, White wake-robin and Large-flowered trillium.  It is a flowering plant that is native to the eastern parts of North America, from Quebec, Canada, all the way down to Georgia in the United States and grows as far west as Minnesota. Also east Asia.   It likes partial sun to full shade and is a perennial plant.    

This pretty yellow flower is a Celandine poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum).  Also known as Woods poppy and Yellow wood poppy, and is native to North America.  This species is considered endangered in Canada.  It grows in the eastern United States and Eastern Canada.

Wild blue phlox (Phlox divaricata).  Other names are Woodland phlox, Blue phlox, Forest phlox and Wild sweet William.  

It is indigenous to eastern North America.  Phlox is Greek for "flame", because some flowers of this species have intensely vibrant colors.

Here we have Golden ragwort (Packera aurea).  Another name is Golden groundsel.  It is a member of the aster family and blooms in spring and summer.  It likes full sun to part shade, and is a perennial.

Here is the White Dogwood tree that is my favorite, and one I hope we will be planting to replace the other trees we had to cut down in our back garden.  We are going to have a chat with a professional to make sure it is a good area to plant them.  

The flower itself is the small, greenish yellow part in the middle of the bloom. The four petal-like parts surrounding the flower aren’t petals at all—they’re actually bracts, a type of modified leaf.  It is also the State flower of Virginia.

That's the end of our walk through the wood.  In Part 3 I will be sharing mostly tulips I found in the top part of the garden.

Thank you for looking and enjoy your day.