Saw this in a community park.
Very pretty, I think it's a zinnia? Never grown these, maybe I should.
~ 08/23/24
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Sacred Datura (Datura wrightii).
this was growing in somebody's front yard. Not exactly wild. XD
I've never seen this before, it's toxic, but it IS native.
An ornamental from the south west.
It barely comes up to my knees, but a quick search says it should top out at about 5 feet.
~ 08/15/24
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Virginia Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum Virginianum).
this was growing in mesic soil next to a stagnant overflow.
Soft stemmed, hairless, pinnate, 6" max height, and covering the floor.
The striation threw me off, there's a couple types of waterleaf in this region. But none colored like this.
The coloration might be a mutation, or a deficiency.
I think it looks really cool either way.
~ 08/14/24
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Common Mullein (Verbascum Thapsus).
I thought this was lamb's ear, but looked closer and noticed it was in fact not.
Hairy, rosette, spathulate.
It's introduced to the Americas, and I found this on disturbed earth next to a disused canal. So that tracks.
The hairs are reported to be irritants, even after heat preparation. So if you see it, maybe only touch with gloves.
Which is really sad, It *LOOKS* like it would make an excellent lining for a coat.
~ 08/05/24
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I think this is silky dogwood.
It's right on a river, almost always flooded. The leaves are dark green, ovate, and waxy. It's bushy, but with many reddish-brown to green vertical stems.
The drupe berries are blue and come in bunches from cherry-like stems. The unripe berries are green.
Theoretically this is forageable. But if I was going to take these fruit, it would be to place the seeds where they will stabalize the bank.
~ 08/04/24
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Along the edge of a bike path, watered by constantly overflowing banks, ephemerals can flower for a long time (false mermaid weed, Floerkea Proserpinacoides). The moss and lichen really make a place look stately.
~ 08/03/24
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What is it? something sunflower related, Maybe Helianthus mollis? Chalk it up to Asteraceae Ambiguous. In any case, when these small sunflowers are just about to lose their petals it looks really cool.
~ 08/01/24
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Saw the most elegant crane as I got back from kayaking. The counties around me are really putting effort into conservation and cleaning up the rivers. Some of the old folks around here say there was a time when the rivers were basically all just open sewers. Glad that's not the case anymore.
~ 07/27/24
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Gonna have to admit this, never seen any Persicaria virginiana jump.
~ 07/15/24
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Snail sighting while on a run. I wonder if he knows how precariously he's perched?
~ 06/13/24
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I know it's invasive, but I love the look of Lonicera japonica; it IS summer in my mind.
~ 06/08/24
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I usually can't tell this apart from any other grasses or sedges at a glance, but Carex Grayi has an amazing fruiting structure.
~ 06/05/24
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I've always heard that may apples taste great (but don't eat them in large amounts). I've rarely seen them in bloom. The squirrels come after these things QUICK. I probably won't get to eat this, but that's fine, I've got icecream.
~ 05/17/24
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Visited my brother in DC. Got to see the national arboretum in a full spring bloom! Wisteria, Cherry, Peony, and Magnolia. Very Beautiful. The floor was also just coming to life, a large number of fern species were poking up new fronds (I think these are fiddleheads?). And plenty of spring ephemerals! (shown are tulips, some type of springbeauty, and I think glory of the snow? Chionodoxa luciliae) Too many to name or count.
~ 03/30/24
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