AUGUST

August is starting out with some great wildflowers. The weather has been unseasonably cool and getting into field and forest is very comfortable . Below are a few early August finds and I hope to post four Orchids in the next day or two. I have been checking a group of Crane fly Orchids for two weeks now and it seems like it is taking forever for them to open. And a neighbor has had Fringeless Purple Orchids in a wet field for the past few years, but we have not located them yet this year. But while looking I found a very nice pink flower that I assumed was introduced but is actually called Steeplebush, a native Spirea and a shrub. It is unusual in that it seems to have only one stem, making it look like  flower rather than a shrub. I also found it on the farm where I live, all of the following flowers are from here. 

#225- Steeplebush

 Notice the 'fringe' on the leaf stem of the Fringed Loosestrife.

#226- Fringed Loosestrife

#227- Evening Primrose 

#228- Blue Vervain

#229- Spotted Touch-Me-Not or Jewelweed

The farm here has a large patch of St. Johns Wort, and when I started studying this plant I found that there are seven or so varieties, some native some not. Once I started paying attention, I found two varieties here. The first one here is the Common St. John's Wort  a non-native with very showy flowers and the translucent dots on leaves that can be used for ID purposes. The dots are sacs of oil; the oil that is used in herbal remedies. 

#230- Common St. Johns Wort (non-native)

 The next one is a less noticable one with smaller flowers that close in the evening. It has black dots on the leaves and is Spotted St. John's-wort

#231- Spotted St. John's-wort

 Spotted St. John's-wort (note the black dots on leaves)

#233- Tall Hairy Agrimony

#232- White Vervain

#234- Spotted Water Hemlock