This beautiful hedge bindweed (Calystegia sepium) blossom hints at the rain we finally got last weekend. It wasn’t enough but it helped. Though for many years all I ever saw were white flowered hedge bindweeds it has gotten to the point where all I see now are these bicolor ones. Bindweeds are perennial and morning glories are annuals and one good way to tell them apart is by their leaves; morning glory (Ipomoea) has heart shaped leaves and bindweed has narrower arrowhead shaped, triangular leaves.
Our native wintergreens are starting to blossom and chief among them is pipsissewa, in my opinion. Pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata) flowers often show a blush of pink. Five petals and ten chubby anthers surrounding a plump center pistil make it prettier than most of our other native wintergreens. Pipsissewa flowers are from 4-6 inches tall and nod toward the ground, which can make getting a good photo a challenge.
Pipsissewa grows in large colonies and is easy to find because of its shiny green leaves that shine winter and summer for up to 4 years before new leaves grow to replace them. Like other wintergreens it likes dry, sandy, undisturbed soil in pine forests. Pipsissewa was once used as a flavoring in candy and soft drinks, including root beer. It was also used medicinally by Native Americans. The word Pipsissewa is from the Native American Cree tribe and means “It-breaks-into-small-pieces,” referring to the belief that tea made from the dried leaves can break up kidney stones. It is still used by herbalists to treat urinary tract problems.
American basswood trees (Tilia americana) are members of the linden family. Though they are native trees I rarely see them. They belong to the same genus as the lime trees commonly seen in Europe and England. Its flowers are very fragrant and it’s a nice looking shade tree but unfortunately it is also an insect magnet and among the insects it attracts are Japanese Beetles in the many thousands. Bees are also attracted in great numbers and the honey produced from basswood foraging bees is said to be choice and highly sought after.
Each of the basswood’s flower clusters (cymes) clings to the middle of an elongated whitish green floral bract. Each small flower is about a half inch in diameter with 5 cream-colored petals, 5 cream-colored sepals, a pistil with a white style, and several stamens with yellow anthers. They were hard to get a good photo of for some reason, though I tried several times. The seeds are eaten by squirrels, chipmunks, and mice. Native Americans had many medicinal uses for the tree and made rope from its tough inner bark. Freshly cut bark was also used as bandages. Syrup was made from the sweet sap and young leaves were eaten in the spring. Not a single part of the tree was wasted.
Dwarf St. John’s wort (Hypericum mutilum) is a small, bushy plant that gets about ankle high and has flowers that resemble those found on its larger cousin, St. John’s wort. A noticeable difference, apart from their small size, is how the flowers lack the brown spots often found on the petals of the larger version. These flowers are about the same diameter as a pencil eraser and, since the plants often grow right at the water’s edge, you usually have to get wet knees to get a good photo of them.
There are a few lobelias that look similar but I think this one might be pale spike lobelia (Lobelia spicata,) which gets its common name from its small, pale blue to almost white flowers. Every now and then you can find a plant with deeper blue flowers, as I was lucky enough to do on this day. There is also a purple variant but I’ve never seen it. Native Americans had many medicinal uses for lobelia and one of them was as a treatment for asthma. The plant must have worked well because early explorers took it back across the Atlantic where it is still used medicinally today. It has to be used with great care by those who know how to use it though, because it can kill.
Canada lilies (Lilium canadense) are sometimes very tall and can tower over a person of average height. There must have been fifty plants in this location, some 8 feet tall and all in full bloom, and it looked like someone had hung yellow chandeliers from the trees. It’s a beautiful sight that I wish everyone could see but unfortunately mowing of the meadows that they like to grow in and digging up of the plants means scenes like that above are rarely seen. I’m very lucky to know of this place.
The flowers of Canada lilies are as big and as beautiful as the garden lilies I think we’re all familiar with and they come in red and orange as well as yellow. Their habit of nodding towards the ground can make getting a photo difficult, but I (very gently) tilt the stem back with one hand while I take the photos with the other. It’s not the ideal set up but it lets me show you the brownish purple spots on the inside throat of the trumpet and the huge red anthers. Speaking of anthers; many have found out the hard way that the pollen from those and other lily anthers will stain a white tablecloth permanently. The flower buds and roots were gathered and eaten by Native Americans. The scaly bulbs were cooked and eaten with other foods, such as venison and fish. They were also cooked and saved for winter use. They are said to have a very peppery flavor.
The common orange daylily (Hemerocallis fulva) doesn’t have Lilium in its scientific name because daylilies aren’t a true lily. It’s a plant you’ll find growing near old stone cellar holes out in the middle of nowhere and along old New England roads. It is also found in cemeteries, often planted beside the oldest graves. It is one of those plants that were passed from neighbor to neighbor and spread quickly because of it. These days it is one of those plants that new homeowners go out and dig up when they can’t afford to buy plants for their gardens. It is both loved for being so easy to grow and hated for being so common.
This plant was introduced into the United States from Asia in the late 1800s as an ornamental and plant breeders have now registered over 40,000 cultivars, all of which have “ditch lily” genes and all of which have the potential to spread just like the original has. If you find yourself doing battle with a particularly weedy daylily, no matter the color, there’s a very good chance that the common orange is one of its parents.
Meadowsweet (Spirea alba) grows in the form of a small shrub and is in the spirea family, which its flowers clearly show with their many fuzzy stamens. The flowers are fragrant and have a sort of almond-like scent. This plant was one of three considered most sacred by the Druids and has been used medicinally for many thousands of years. Here in America it is an introduced invasive, but little is heard about it and nobody seems to mind. I usually find it near water.
Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is an invasive perennial that came over from Europe in the ballast of a cargo ship in the 1800s. The beach sand ballast, loaded with purple loosestrife seeds, was originally dumped on Long Island, New York. The seeds grew, the plant spread and now it covers most of Canada and all but 5 of the lower Untied States. It likes wet, sunny meadows but will grow just about anywhere.
It’s hard to deny the beauty of purple loosestrife, especially when you see a meadow full of it growing alongside yellow goldenrods. Such a sight can be breathtaking but the plant chokes out natives including goldenrod, and creates monocultures. I know of 2 places where you now see nothing but purple at this time of year.
The small, furry, white to light purple flowers of motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) are easy to miss. At a glance this plant might resemble one of the nettle family but the square stems show it to be in the mint family. The tiny flowers grow in a whorl around the stem in the leaf axils. This plant, originally from Asia, is considered an invasive weed but I don’t see it that often and I don’t think I’ve ever seen more than 2 or 3 plants growing together. It was brought to this country because of its long history of medicinal use in Europe and Asia. It is found along roads and in fields.
The tiny flowers are very hairy and look like a microscopic orchid. They’re very hard to get a good shot of because of both their size and color. I had to go back to this plant 3 times and I’m still not really happy with the results. The ancient Greeks and Romans used motherwort medicinally and it is still used today to decrease nervous irritability and quiet the nervous system. There is supposed to be no better herb for strengthening and gladdening the heart, and it is sold in powdered and liquid form.
Spreading dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium) is toxic to both dogs and humans, but insects love it. It’s closely related to milkweeds and has milky sap like they do. Monarch butterflies drink its nectar and I saw one fly off a plant just a few days ago. Though it is an herbaceous perennial its growth habit makes it look like a 3 foot tall shrub. The Apocynum part of its scientific name means “away from dog.” Not only dogs but most other animals avoid it because of its toxic sap. Native Americans used the plant medicinally and used its strong fibers to make thread and cord. The plant’s milky white sap is very sticky and I wonder how they removed it from the thread they made.
Spreading dogbane’s bell shaped flowers are very fragrant and I love to smell then when I can find one without an insect in it. They’re also very pretty, with faint pink stripes on the inside. They remind me of lily of the valley flowers but are quite a lot larger, as the ant in the blossom pictured shows. I don’t know if the ants were looking for nectar or the honeydew left by aphids, because aphids also love the plant.
I know I showed blue vervain recently but it’s a beautiful thing and I can’t resist taking a photo or two when I see it. I found this example on a sandy part of the Ashuelot River Bank.
Flowers carry not only beauty but also the silent song of love. You just have to feel it. ~Debasish Mridha
Thanks for stopping in.
Your American lime looks very similar to our T.platyphyllos, do people use the flowers to make tea or tisane with it in the States? Amelia
I don’t know if they do for sure but I know that you can use them for tea. I would think foragers would, at the least.
My, you still have a lot in bloom! That’s a great shot of the Pipsissewa!
Thanks Montucky! Yes, the plants seem to be doing well even though it’s been very dry.
A beautiful collection of photos and I enjoy the stories behind them. Always something new to learn on this site! The 8 foot tall Canada lilies are something I never got to see back east. I have seen the much smaller wild orange tiger lilies.
Orange daylilies – we have a lot of them here too, and they do spread fast. In our climate, they start popping up shoots in January. We plant them around fruit trees to help prevent mower and weed trimmer damage, and they make a showy border under the trees.
Thank you Lavinia. Lilies at that height always make me just stop and stare. They almost seem unreal when they’re that big. I never see the smaller orange lilies. I’m not sure why.
Planting daylilies around trees is a good idea. I’ve done it with hostas but never thought to do it with daylilies.
Love the detail in the pics… Beautiful! 😊
Thanks very much, I’m glad you enjoy them.
Those Canada Lilies and the Lobelia are just gorgeous. I’m thinking of planting some blue vervain this fall. It is beautiful but it’s a more delicate beauty.
Thanks! Vervain seems to like growing near water but I’m seeing it in gardens more and more.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen the wintergreen. Is that possible? So excited to see you posted pictures and info on the Linden tree flowers. There are two wonderfully healthy ones flanking the gate into the farm where I park and for the past few weeks I’ve been transformed to the tropic every time I walk by them.
The wintergreen only grows in sandy, dry pine woods so unless you spend time in such places you probably wouldn’t see it. It’s also quite short and barely ankle high.
The lindens that I know are full of Japanese beetles at the moment, but there are bees too. The fragrance is great!
So many beautiful flowers bloom at this time of year. I would love to see the Canada Lilies in such profusion and the other native American flowers in the wild one day. They look so exotic compared to our own British ones.
Thank you Clare. Many of the natives are big and showy like roses and the Canada lilies. We have many pretty small ones as well but it takes a little effort to see them. The lilies stop you in your tracks because they are so big and so tall. You don’t expect them to be high above the tall grass like they are.
Your description of them looking like a candelabra was excellent and really made me want to see them!
That’s what they remind me of!
Stunning flowers. Canada lilies are so pretty, thank you for showing us the inside of the flower. Lovely motherwort too.
Thank you. I love Canada lilies and I hope we’ll see more of them. They’re certainly doing well in that spot!
I think the Pipsissewa has the prettiest flower!
Thanks Eliza, they are pretty!
So many beautiful flowers that I can’t pick a favorite, although the pipsissewa, Canada lily, and dog bane are right towards the top of the list.
From the number of the flowers that were introduced here, I often wonder if there were any native flowers here in North America. 😉
I wish that my memory was better, I used to see flowers of a tree related to basswood very often while kayaking, and now I can’t remember what they were. But, that happens a lot, must be old age creeping in on me.
I”s good the hear that you received some rain, I know that it’s been even dryer there than here.
Thanks Jerry!
There were plenty of flowers here before Europeans came but the invasives grab the headlines and you don’t hear much about the natives.
I can’t think of a tree related to basswood that has similar flowers but I know that basswood grows in Michigan so maybe it was called something else, like linden. And I know what you mean about not remembering!
We didn’t get much rain but every drop helps. We have streams that you normally wouldn’t dream of walking across that are nearly dried up now. I saw one today and couldn’t hardly believe it.
My favourite was the Pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata) but the motherwort photo was a triumph. I’ll be very impressed if you can get a better one.
Thank you. The lighting has to be perfect to get a good shot of the tiny motherwort blossoms and as you know, it seldom is.
Wonderful images. Love the Pipsissewa.
Thank you, that’s a hard one to get!
Reblogged this on Dawn of Divine Rays and commented:
Thank you for sharing all the lovely blooms, Allen. As always, the photos are all very well taken. The American Basswood tree seems like a winner to me. It might help to bring the honey bees back. Thank you for the lovely trail walk. Happy weekend, Allen. Namaste
You’re welcome. I’m glad that you liked them.
Basswood does attract a lot of bees but also a lot of pests like Japanese beetles.
Have a great rest of the weekend!
Truly beautiful. Thank you.
You’re welcome, and thank you Ben.
Thank you for the close-up of motherwort. It grows in one of my gardens and I make a tincture every year. Helps to calm nerves and gladden the heart.
Beauty does not linger; it only visits. Yet beauty’s visitation affects us and invites us into its rhythm; it calls us to feel, think and act beautifully in the world: to create and live a life that awakens the Beautiful.
~ John O’Donohue
You’re welcome Paula, and thank you for the quote. What you’ve said about motherwort is just what I’ve read. I’ve never tried it but I have it growing in my yard too.
I always enjoy your flower pictures and all the information you give about plants. I especially am intrigued with all the uses that Native American’s had for the plants we take for granted. Thanks for sharing all this knowledge with us. I also enjoyed the section about the lowly orange daylily. My mother took pieces of this lily from my grandmother’s garden when she passed away and put them in her garden. She moved several times, always bringing some with her and passed some on to me. I have also moved several times, always bringing that connection to my grandmother and mother with me. I can see how earlier gardeners did the same thing and think of how far one parent plant has spread whenever I see them growing in some abandoned field along the road.
Thanks very much Susan. Your story is a perfect illustration of how daylilies have moved from place to place over the centuries. Many other plants like lilacs and peonies have moved from place to place in the same way and I sometimes find all three growing and still blooming beautifully by old forgotten cellar holes in the woods.
So many lovely flowers! I think the pipsissewa might be my favorite, but the motherwort would be a close second. I’d love to see a patch of 8′ tall Canada lilies!
Thanks Laura. Many of our pine forests will have pipsissewa growing in them, because they like the same type of soil.
Canada lilies can often be found along the mowed strips along roads at this time of year but you’ve got to catch them before they mow again. I know of 2 or 3 roadsides where they grow in Keene. They’re always taller than anything else!
Reblogged this on Poltrack Pix and commented:
Another crop of summer flowers from NH Garden Solutions
Thank you.
I spent some time under my basswood tree just listening to it hum with all the bees. I noticed some growths on the leaves which appear to be some type of disease. I sent a photo to the UNH extension service but no answer yet. Thanks for introducing me to the Lillium canadense, that is truly inpressive.
You’re welcome John. I haven’t seen anything unusual on basswood trees but leaf growths are often galls and don’t do any serious harm to the tree.
You can sometimes see Canada lilies on the edges of roads and highways before they’re mowed in summer. They tower above the grass.
Such beauty, it fair takes my breath away.
Thank you Susan. That can happen quite often at this time of year!