This post is of more of what I find wandering through forests, swamps and fields. I was happy the day I went to a bog in a town called Fitzwilliam and saw Rhodora (Rhododendron canadense) blooming. These flowers appear on short (3 feet or less) upright shrubs that like to live in wet places. The ones I saw this day were growing in standing water in full sun. Rhodora, which is in the rhododendron family, is native to the northeastern U.S. and Canada and both Its western and southern limits are reached in Pennsylvania. The flowers appear before the leaves and light up the edges of swamps and bogs for a short time in spring. By mid-June they will be only a memory here. On May 17, 1854 Henry David Thoreau wrote “The splendid Rhodora now sets the swamps on fire with its masses of rich color,” and indeed, that is exactly what it does. Ralph Waldo Emerson loved the flower so much he wrote a poem about it, titled “The Rhodora.”
When I left the bogs I went to one of my favorite places alongside a small stream where the conditions are just right for many ferns, wildflowers and flowering shrubs. Many of the wildflowers seen in this blog are found along the banks of this stream. The soil is very rich, cool, and moist and there is a game trail that follows the stream. Twice now I have startled a very large bird that suddenly flies up off the forest floor on the opposite side. Each time I’ve only seen the blur of big, dark wings.
Like the Rhodora, foamflowers (Tiarella cordifolia) will soon be just a memory, but right now they are so thick in places on the forest floor that it’s hard to walk without crushing them. Foamflowers are also called false miterwort. This plant is native to the eastern U.S and likes moist, shaded forests with dappled sunlight.Part of a large foamflower colony. They like to grow on gentle slopes. White campion (Silene latifolia) can shade towards pink, which is what drew me to this one. The light pink color doesn’t show as well in the photo as it did in the field but you can see the deep cleft or split in the petals, which is a good way to identify it-it has 5 petals that at first glance look like 10. This plant is dioecious, meaning that male and female flowers are borne on different plants. One way to tell if a flower is male or female is by counting the veins on the bladder (calyx) behind it. Male plants have 10 veins on their calyx and females have 20. The plant in the above photo is a male. Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis) is very similar to campion with its bladder like calyx, but the petals aren’t cleft. This plant was introduced from Europe and prefers fields and waste places with soil on the dry side. Another plant that I was also most happy to (finally) see was gaywings (Polygala paucifolia.) Fellow New Hampshire blogger Jomegat has shown this plant several times on his blog and I commented that I couldn’t understand how I had walked through these New Hampshire woods for 50 years without seeing it. Now, once I found it I think I know why; to someone who is as color blind as I am, from a distance this flower easily passes as a violet. Since I see thousands of violets each day, it is unlikely that I’d go out of my way to see another. In fact, I found a large patch of violets growing less than 10 feet from the gaywings. Now that I know what to look for, I’ll be paying much closer attention. This plant is native to Canada and the U.S., but its range is limited to Minnesota to the west and Georgia to the south. Gaywings are supposed to grow in dry pine forests so I went to one. Unfortunately I found everything but gaywings here-they were growing alongside an old dirt road. This is an odd place-on this side of the trail the woods are open as you can see in the photo, but on the other side of the trail there is underbrush that is quite thick at times. There is a network of paths all through the brush because a lot of wildflowers like to hide there. A large swamp is nearby as well.I have found a lot of immature, foliage only may apples (Podophyllum peltatum) this year and had seen no flowers until I found this one nodding sleepily under its umbrella-like leaves. This plant is also called American mandrake, which is legendary among herbalists for the root that supposedly resembles a man. Though Native Americans used this plant medicinally, all parts of it are considered toxic except the “apple” which ripens in late summer. If large amounts of those are eaten, even they can be poisonous. Native starflowers (Trientalis borealis) are everywhere in the woods right now in dry or moist soil. I always like to see how many flowers I can find on one plant. So far this year my record is three, but I’ve read of people finding four. Starflowers are a plant based on sevens; seven leaves, seven petals, and seven sepals. At least, most of the time-if nature was to have a rule it would be that no rule in nature is hard and fast and the flower with 8 petals in the photo proves that. Starflower leaves turn yellow and fade away in mid-summer, leaving behind a leafless stalk bearing a tiny seed capsule. Bellworts are also still blooming near the stream. I’ve been hoping to find the showy large flowered bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora.) I think the one in the photo is a sessile leaved bellwort (Uvularia sessilifolia,) which is commonly called wild oats. Dandelions are still blooming too, and this bumblebee seems very happy that they are. Scott over at the Little Crum Creek blog did a post on the red admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta) migration. Just as I finished telling him I had never seen one I stepped out the door and there one was, right in front of me. Unfortunately I was on the phone and had no camera, but Saturday I saw a large autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) shrub on the edge of the forest that must have had hundreds of red admiral butterflies and bumblebees on it. These creatures don’t sit still for long, so this is the best shot I was able to get. If you want to see much better pictures of this beautiful butterfly you should click on the link to the Little Crum Creek blog. When I finished shooting pictures of the red admiral butterflies I looked down and discovered that I was standing in a good size patch of poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans.) Good grief-you’d think someone who grew up in the woods would know better. There was nothing to be done except to ignore the imaginary itch and head back into the forest. And I was glad I did, because I got to see one of my favorite woodland flowers-the painted trillium (Trillium undulatum .) This year I was late in finding them though, so all I have to show for it is this one that is almost gone by. I wanted to still show it so people could see the beautiful “painted” throat of the flower. According to the USDA, painted trilliums grow as far west as western Tennessee and south to Georgia. This photo from Wikipedia shows what a newly opened painted trillium looks like. When you find a large colony of these in the forest you understand the true meaning of the word “breathtaking.” Tiny Persian speedwell (Veronica persica) is suddenly everywhere you look. I put a quarter on the plant to give an idea of the size of the flowers that I had convinced myself I had no hope of getting a picture of. I had to use a magnifying glass to find a flower that was fully open and then after taking about 20 pictures, I found one that was in focus. This native of Europe and Asia is considered a noxious lawn weed, but I love the sky blue color of the petals. One way to identify this plant is by looking for flowers that have one smaller petal out of four. If you can see them. This is also one of the speedwells-thyme leaved speedwell (Veronica serpyllifolia.) The blossoms on this one, at about 1/8th of an inch across, are slightly larger than those on the Persian speedwell. They weren’t any easier to get a picture of though, and took several attempts. Thyme leaved speedwell is also considered a noxious lawn weed, but I like it. Note the one smaller petal of four again. I believe that all species of speedwell have one smaller petal- every one I’ve seen certainly has. I’ll leave you with a taste of things to come; this tiny cluster of what look like grapes are actually grape flower buds, so they are future grapes. These were on a vine that I found growing in the woods.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. ~Albert Einstein
Thanks for stopping in. Be safe in the woods.
My, what an assortment of flowers in a day! I could live with that!
We also have a species of Foamflower here, Tiarella unifoliata, with fewer blossoms that those.
There are several Species of campions in this area too, but the only one I’ve encountered is Silene latifolia, “Bladder Campion”.
I love the Gaywings. Wish we had them here! Another flower I wish we had is the Painted Trillium. What a beauty it is!
Our version of the Speedwell Veronica cusuckii isn’t blooming yet, or at least I haven’t seen it.
Glad you like seeing what’s blooming here Montucky. I’ll have to look up the ones you’ve listed so I can see them. Though as I look back at this post I think I really did find all of those flowers in one day, ususally the flowers in any post are found over the previous week. I usually try to spend at least an hour each day “hunting” and then, as you probably know, it can sometimes take a day to identify those that I don’t know well. So, each post ends up taking at least a week to put together. I’m glad you’re enjoying them!
Glad the red admirals appeared, Allen! I couldn’t believe my luck when they finally settled down for me. What’s going on with the poison ivy. I’m running into more than ever … maybe because I’m just more aware of it?
I stood there quietly for a little while and they never did settle down for me. It was a real feeding frenzy, almost as if they were starving.
I don’t know what the story is with poison ivy-I’ve also been seeing a lot more that usual. All I can think of is the mild winter and early hot spell might have been just what it liked.
Allen, your the man, I have learned so much from your articles, and your photography is impeccable…..I’m lucky 2 have the pleasure of being in your presence. Thank you for sharing…..Mike
Thanks Michael for another glowing review. Showing people things in nature they might not be aware of is what this blog is all about, so I’m happy to hear that you’re learning from it. Thanks for visiting.
Thanks for all the great information.
We were in a spot known for poison ivy today but did not see any there just yet… maybe a few more week for us.
You’re welcome. Glad you didn’t get into the poison ivy!
Nice collection of wildflower images. Several I do not recognize. Suppose I need to walk in the far Northeast one day and have a look see.
Thanks! Yes, unfortunately many of them don’t grow in Kentucky, but a lot of yours don’t grow here so we’ll have to make do with pictures. You’d like New Hampshire, I think-at least as a place to visit.
Nice gaywings shot 😉
Now it’s my turn. I wonder if I’ve been overlooking the foam flower because it looks so much like Canada mayflower. I’ll have to start looking more closely. I’ve also never seen mayapple here in NH. I used to see it in IN & KY, but that might be a different plant with the same name.
Almost forgot! I saw dozens of red admirals swarming some autumn olives yesterday too. Cool.
Those autumn olives are an important food source for insects, even if they are an invasive plant. I’ve never seen so many bugs on one bush.
Thanks! It was great to finally find that plant! It could be that you’ve been mistaking foamflower for Canada mayflowers but the leaves are very different-more like a fuzzy maple leaf. The leaves of miterwort look almost identical but its flowers are different. In any case, the same thing happens to me all the time.
Mayapple is hard to find but I’ve seen it in the woods in Swanzey quite a bit in areas that are on the dry side. I’ve also found it in Fitzwilliam in more moist soil.
Another great entry! I am learning plants, not nearly fast enough though. My problem is that I tell myself that I am going to slow down and really study the flowers that I see to identify them later, and the darn geese start in trying to kill each other, or I see a new to me species of bird. I have some photos of flowers that I am working on trying to identify, but I also still have photos of birds from last week that I also have to ID. Thanks for your posts, I love them!
Thanks! I don’t know if you visit the Little Crum Creek blog but Scott did an index to make finding plants, animals, insects, etc easier to find on his blog. I’m planning on doing something very similar as soon as I get some extra time-right now home renovations are eating all of that. I just want you to know that I heard your request and that something will (eventually) be done. Someone else suggested the same thing, but now I don’t remember who it was.
Well, I don’t want to create more work for you. I’m always pressed for time myself, so that my blogging is suffering. I’ve started a page of just the birds I see around here, but I spend so much time photographing and identifying them, that I don’t have time to add them to the page. It’s a huge undertaking to try something like that with birds, I don’t know how you would ever be able to do it with plants and flowers.
I don’t think your blog is suffering at all-I think it’s great. You’re an excellent storyteller and your blog is fun to read. Don’t worry, you’re not creating work for me-this is something I’ve been thinking about for quite awhile. It’s a lot of work but in the end I think it’ll be a big help to people who don’t know plants. At least I hope it will. I’m struggling with how to group them, but I’m leaning towards by color. It’s a lot to think about. I can’t imagine doing this with birds but then, I don’t know birds very well.
You got some beauties! I posted some of the same today, and will do more tomorrow. I haven’t seen trillium yet, but did find one lady slipper.
I haven’t been to your blog yet today so I haven’t seen them, but I will soon. I also saw several pink lady’s slippers last weekend but they had just opened and hadn’t turned pink yet. I looked at one last night and it was pink, but it was raining so I didn’t get a picture of it. Thanks for visiting.
Great pictures as usual.
Thanks!