Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Wandering Beneath the Trees


This week we’re going to be exploring the goings-on beneath the trees. We’ll see a number of wild flowers, many of which are new to me. If you know their names – don’t be bashful, shout it out!

I will also be sharing the preparations of our diligent red squirrels beneath the eastern white pine trees, and the legacy of the butterflies hiding in the grass.

Today: wildflowers. These flowers grow down in the area where the farm’s fields morph into the
forest via the hedge. The purple flowers a butterfly favorite, the yellow flowers only just came out, and the white ones have a sort of nightshade look about them, but I cannot be certain of their identity.

6 comments:

  1. The yellow flower looks like jewelweed (Impatiens capensis).

    This often grows close by poison ivy, and is reputed to be a remedy.

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  2. Jenn, thanks for stopping in and sharing your wisdom! What a beautiful name for such a lovely flower. I love learning about the healing qualities of different plants. Thanks again!

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  3. What are the gorgeous pink ones? I know practically nothing about plants/gardening but Id like to learn more.

    BFN, G

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  4. I think the pink flowers are spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa). This is a european import, and not a native wildflower. It might also be canadian thistle (Cirsium arvense), which is another european flower. Both have naturalized across north america.

    I do think your white flower is in the solanaceae family, but it looks too big to be deadly nightshade. Perhaps a relocated tomato seed from a nearby garden?

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  5. Thanks so much for all your suggestions Jenn! I think that these purple ones are very similar to the spotted knapweed and the Canadian thistle, but the leaves don't match up. I'll include some more pictures in the next post.

    As for the white flowers - I agree, they look a lot like tomato blossoms, but again the leaves and growth habit aren't the same. They're also in the next post.

    Thanks again! I really appreciate your ideas. I'm still so much a novice when it comes to horticulture.

    Cheers,
    JLB

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  6. Geraldine - still working on the flower id's (with a little help from Jenn!), but thanks for visiting as always!

    I'm always in a learning process with gardening. Pretty much all my knowledge about plants and gardening comes from practice, books, and listening to the plants. ;)

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