Toward the end of July I took a walk along the Ashuelot River in Keene, looking for wildflowers. Since I didn’t have writing a blog post in mind at that time, I never took a shot of the river or the trail I followed. My thoughts were on the wildflowers that grow here, and there are many. It’s a good place to find flowers that like to be constantly moist, like the American water horehound (Lycopus americanus) in the above photo. These common plants often have deep maroon foliage like that seen here, which is quite pretty. The tiny bell-shaped flowers form a ring around the square stem in the leaf axils.
American water horehound is very similar to northern water horehound, but that plant’s flowers have five lobes instead of four. The pretty little flowers are some of the most challenging to get a good photo of and it often takes me several attempts. The plant grows in roadside ditches and along the shores of ponds and rivers, where it can keep its feet wet. The hard brown seeds are eaten by waterfowl and Native Americans used the small tuberous roots for food.
The round, inch diameter flower clusters of button bush shrubs (Cephalanthus occidentalis) dotted the shoreline. The fragrant, long white, tubular flowers each have an even longer style that makes the whole flower head look like a spiky pincushion. Flowers are often tinged by a bit of brown when I see them but these were in fine, fresh condition. Once pollinated the flower heads become hard brown/ reddish seed heads made up of small, two seeded nutlets that are a favorite of ducks and shore birds. According to the USDA, Native Americans used concoctions made from the bark of buttonbush to relieve headaches, rheumatism, and other ailments, and chewed it to relieve toothaches. I wonder if it has the same aspirin like compounds in it that willow bark has.
Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) always says midsummer to me, though it has a fairly long blooming season. It loves shaded, damp places and under the right conditions can form huge colonies.
This jewelweed blossom had a bee inside, and it didn’t seem to be in any hurry to get out. A pollen eater, maybe?
Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis) is hard to miss with its clear white, swept back petals. Each plant reaches about two feet and usually grows right at the edge of taller vegetation. Flowers have 5 petals and 10 stamens. Its unusual name comes from the way its leaves contain natural soaps called saponins. When the leaves are crushed and scrubbed together in water a soapy lather will appear. In the past this plant was used for washing clothes and making soap. It is originally from Europe and is considered toxic. It grows along the riverbank only in the sunniest places.
Sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis) gets its name from being very sensitive to frost but there is no frost in July so I’m not sure what triggered the change in this one. Maybe it was just tired of trying to flourish in a drought.
Tall meadow rue (Thalictrum pubescens) also called an early end to summer. Sometimes this plant will fool people into thinking they’ve found wild columbine. Also, on occasion its leaves will change to a beautiful deep purple in fall. Though this one was a ground hugger I’ve seen them that towered over my head.
Tall white rattlesnake root (Prenanthes trifoliate) grows all along the side of the trail that follows the river. They bloomed early this year; I usually think of them as a fall or very late summer flower. Plants have a waxy, reddish stem which helps in identification when it isn’t in bloom. Leaf size and shape can vary greatly from plant to plant, so it can be a tough one to figure out unless it is blooming.
Once tall white rattlesnake blooms it is unmistakable. There is no other plant that I know of that has small, drooping white, lily like blossoms in late summer. The half inch flowers appear in clusters at the end of branched stems that can reach 5 or 6 feet in some cases, and have forked stamens that are longer than the petals. The flowers move at just a hint of a breeze, so they can be difficult to get a good photo of. This plant is also called gall of the earth because of how bitter the root tastes. These roots were once made into a very bitter tonic that was used to (allegedly) cure snake bites, and that’s where its other common name comes from.
I had to stop and admire the beautiful deep pink buds of Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum.) This plant doesn’t have a strong presence along this part of the river but I see them here and there. I’ve always thought its buds were as beautiful as its flowers.
Slender fragrant goldenrod (Solidago tenuifolia) grows just about anywhere and is very common. It is similar to lance leaved goldenrod but the two can be told apart by leaf veining; slender fragrant goldenrod has only one vein running down the center of each leaf and lance leaved goldenrod has several veins. Other common names are sweet goldenrod, wound weed, Blue Mountain tea, sweet-scented goldenrod, anise-scented goldenrod, and true goldenrod. Goldenrods like dry, sunny places and don’t mind sandy soil so the drought didn’t really bother them. This native grows much shorter than most goldenrods; usually about knee high.
There are 2 or 3 small lobelias with small blue / purple flowers that grow here, but though the flowers look alike the plants themselves have very different growth habits, and that makes them easy to identify. This lobelia is called Indian tobacco (Lobelia inflata) and the small flowers are about 1/3 of an inch long. It is the only lobelia with calyxes that inflate after the flowers have fallen and to identify it, I just look for the inflated seedpods.
These pretty, tiny flowers have to be pollinated by small insects, and bees such as sweat bees are perfect for the job. Once pollinated tiny, dust like seeds will form in the inflated seed pods in the fall. Eventually they will blow on the wind.
Allegheny monkey flowers (Mimulus ringens) grew here sparingly this year. Though there are 150 species of monkey flower worldwide, this is not a plant that I would expect to see large colonies of. I’ve learned to expect just a few. I’ve never seen a monkey in one, but someone did. According to the University of Connecticut “The so-called Monkey Flowers in the genus Mimulus got their name because their flowers have a mouth-like shape, and to some they resemble the face of a monkey.” Oh well, I don’t see turtles when I look at turtlehead flowers either.
A blue damsel fly perched on a leaf just long enough for a couple of quick shots.
I was happy to find the small white blossoms of marsh bellflowers (Campanula aparinoides) here and there among the taller plants. This plant is a wetland indicator species and, in this spot, it grows right at the very edge of the river bank, so you have to be careful if you don’t want a dunking. Though perennial they, along with all with all the other plants in this photo, come and go according to conditions. Last year all of this was completely underwater and there wasn’t a flower to be seen, so this was only the second time I’ve ever seen them. They are rare in my experience and I don’t know a lot about them.
I do know that each bell-shaped flower is about the diameter of an aspirin, and a single flower dangles at the end of a wire like stem that can be up to three feet long. They don’t climb or cling but instead just tangle their way through other plant stems. They aren’t easy to get a photo of. As any painter knows, you can’t paint white snow on a white canvas; you need darkness before you can show light. This also applies to photography, and I had to twist myself in knots to get just the right amount of darkness behind this tiny flower. Background reflections of white clouds on the river made it almost disappear, so I was very happy when I got home and saw that I had the only useable photos I’ve ever taken of this rare flower. It is its simplicity that makes it beautiful, I think. I’ve read that they also come in very pale blue and I’d love to see those as well.
I’ll never believe that beauty can only be found in special places, where we must stand in line to see it. Great beauty can be found anywhere at any time, often in simple, uncomplicated places where there is nothing to do or to think about, like here along the river. Many landscape artists and photographers whose paintings and photos hang in galleries and museums come to places like this to find the beauty they want to capture. If you can’t afford to fly off to a museum or gallery to see a reproduction or representation of the beauty of life, why not walk through the real thing instead?
Beauty is not hidden. It is right there in plain sight for all to see, and all we have to do is notice it. The more we pay attention to it, the more we’ll see. It’s in the curl of a leaf, or the colorful gravel in a stream bed, or the carved hieroglyphics of bark beetles. It’s always there no matter where you look, and giving it our attention helps us realize what a great gift we’ve been given. This leads to gratitude and gratitude brings empathy and compassion, and they in turn fill our hearts with a love for all life.
Just as, when you look into the eyes of another human being you get a glimpse of their soul…
So also when you look deeply into the heart of a flower you get a glimpse into the soul of the earth. ~Rudolf Steiner
Thanks for stopping in.
Looking at all these lovely flowers and green things when I’m viewing them in January has a very “out of sync” feeling to me. It’s either too late or too early; my whole being is immersed in short days, cold, greys and browns, tree silhouettes, brown stems, etc. I guess I’m hibernating?
I hope I get future notification of new posts. I reregistered, as you suggested, so fingers crossed. Keep writing, I’ll catch up eventually.
I wondered how people would like seeing flowers in winter. I like seeing them any time so I guess I think others do to. I hope so because there will be at least one more.. I hate to waste all those photos.
You should get regular notifications now. If you don’t let me know and I’ll ask WordPress what is going on.
And there’s nothing wrong with a little hibernation. When I was a gardener I did it every winter!
Wonderful pictures!! Thanks for sharing.
Hope you’re feeling 100% by now, and hope to see you out on California Brook sometime soon. Best wishes for a healthy 2023!!! Susan
Thank you Susan. Yes, I’m feeling much better and I think it might be safe to say that I’m done with Covid.
I’m sure we’ll run into each other again before too long.
Have a Merry Christmas!
Thank you! You, too! Susan
What a beautiful walk! The jewelweed caught my eye as there was so much of it where I grew up, on the edge of swamp. It was one of my favorite wildflowers. I have not seen any here in my area, but it is way too dry in summer.
I read that it was so dry there that thousands of acres of fir trees had died, which I would call a natural disaster of epic proportions. I’m glad you’re getting some rain finally.
There are other plants in the balsam or jewelweed family that might grow there. There is a pink Himalayan variety that is very pretty but I don’t know what its requirements are.
The hottest I have seen it get in my area was 112 degrees. Dry as an old bone, and clay soil which bakes hard as a brick.
That’s too bad. I hope you’ll see some beneficial rains over the next season.
Dazzled by the smack of green and color on this, our fist little snowy day. So nice to indulge in your beautiful summer-fresh photos of the familiar flower personalities!
Thanks Gina. It’s snowing here too! I hope I can get out early enough tomorrow to get some shots before it all melts.
I’m glad you liked the flowers they were quite an unintentional contrast to today.
Your photos are wonderful, do you have a new camera? As a few have already commented, the Jewelweed Blossom is beautiful. Welcome back to blogging.
Thank you. I think the “new” camera is actually about a year old now but it still works well. It’s an Olympus TG-7 that I use for close ups.
I hope you’re off to a fine start with spring in Australia.
Thank you, the weather is unpredictable this year.
As it seems to be everywhere.
I’m looking at your lovely flowers on a gloomy rainy day in Oregon (but it’s high time we got some of the wet stuff). I enjoy not only your photos and technical knowledge, but your thoughtful commentary. Thanks for venturing back occasionally!
You’re welcome. I know you need the rain so I’m happy to hear that you’re getting some, Lyn. A friend in California reports the same. I’m glad this post helped brighten a gloomy day!
How delightful to get this post on this cold cloudy day. I especially liked your close ups of the American water horehound and the marsh bellflower as I’m afraid I don’t always take the time to look at things closely enough. And your last paragraph says it all. Thank you.
You’re welcome Daphne. I like seeing flowers at anytime of year but I wasn’t sure if others would feel the same. I’m glad that all of you did.
It is quite cold and wet here in Northern California right now. While we are more than grateful for the rain, this summer time post is a perfect diversion from a rather gloomy day. The image of the bee inside the jewelweed is a gem. I’m with you on this one, I don’t see any monkey face either. It seems like maybe your brain fog is beginning to clear, that’s welcome news.
Thanks Dave. I heard you might see some snow as well in northern parts of the state. I hardly ever see anything in flowers except the flower. Grape tendrils on the other hand are like line drawings, and I’ve seen all kinds of things in them.
Yes, the brain fog is gone and all that’s left is a bit of a cough. I hope that’s all that’s left, anyhow. I’ve heard there can be many other unseen ways Covid can affect you but so far I feel fine. I have a hard time worrying about tomorrow these days. It’ll take care of itself.
It was areal treat to go through this lovely collections of photographs. You do capture the beauty of nature well.
Thank you. I’ve had lots of practice with lots of trial and error, as you know.
The American Water Horehound is so pretty, seen through your lens, but might not be noticed easily walking by, as it seems so tiny in bloom I have a miniature cephalanthis, Sugar Shack by Proven Winners. It bloomed this year for the first time as a young plant. Noticed some insect interest but am hoping as a larger plant it will attract more. From Fedco I planted the native cephalanthis which will get much larger. It is near a boggy part of our woods so should grow well. I’ll be interested to compare the pollinator interest between the two. Southern NH seems to have quite a few wild flowers not found in Western Maine, where I grew up. Thank you for the post, Judy Goodell >
Thanks Judy. True, if you look for the tiny flowers it’s hard to see water horehound, but with those maroon leaves it’s hard to miss.
I didn’t know buttonbushes were being grown commercially and I didn’t know there were dwarf varieties either. It’ll be interesting to see differences appear other than size. Here they grow wild along rivers and ponds and usually don’t get more than 6 feet tall. They’re interesting plants!
So good to hear from you, your photograph of the jewelweed with the bee inside it was special.
Thank you Susan. I’ve never seen that before so it did seem special. I wish I could have seen through its eyes, just for a moment or two.
Thanks so much for sharing this beautiful adventure into wildflowers. Happy Holidays, Sunny
Thanks Sunny, and the same to you! I’ve never shown flowers in December so I’m glad people enjoyed them.
Thank you for stepping out of retirement from time-to-time to remind us to keep looking for beauty.
Thanks very much Stephanie. I discovered while I was away from blogging that I’ll most likely never stop taking photos and writing, so here we are!
The clarity of the photos in this post amazes me.
Thank you Randall, I’m glad you liked them. That last one is actually not sharp at all but I loved the colors and the peacefulness that the scene projected so I left it in. I’ll call it “impressionistic.”
I hear you’re getting snow out west this year. I hope it’s beautiful but not too much of a challenge.
Thanks for the stroll. I see the turtle with its head sticking out of the shell when I view the flower from the side (in profile).
Thank you Pat. I’ve heard a lot of people say the same but I must not have the right kind of imagination or something. I hope you’re staying warm!
It was definitely worth twisting yourself into a pretzel to get the marsh bellflower photo! Gorgeous!
My dad and I still chuckle about the concerned police officer who approached you lying on the sidewalk to get the perfect angle for your photo. Keep at it!
Thanks Cathy. I had forgotten that episode. What a nice, kindhearted man he was. You could see it in his eyes. I hope, after seeing what spring beauties did to me, he went off and saw them for himself!. Maybe he’ll lose himself in wildflowers for a while too!
Thanks so very much for these beautiful flowers in July! Very timely as we may be getting ou,first snowflakes here in Western Massachusetts tomorrow! Your posts and photos are gifts that keep on giving! Happy Holidays!
Thanks very much Linda. I hope the snow doesn’t make it this far east. I’m still just not ready for it and I’m not sure that I ever will be. Still, that first snow can be so beautiful…
Its nice to see the greens of summer even though we have yet to get the ground covered with snow. A few flowers still make it despite the frosts we have had. Steve
Thanks Steve. Of course all these flowers are long gone now but I had a lot of fun getting photos of them and I thought it would be a shame to just delete them without having anyone see them.
Lichen season is upon us!
Thank you for this informative post on the various wildflowers posted here. Your close-up photos of this flowers are just beautiful.
Thank you Mary. I love the challenge of getting a good wildflower photo but sometimes it can border on painful, as I’m sure you know!
So nice to see mid summer flowers in December! I am saving the post to read later when I have my afternoon sit down and cup of tea. Such a treat! Thank you.
Thank you Ann. I hope you find it worth saving!
It certainly was! I particularly love the jewelweed photo. Jewelweed is ubiquitous but so beautiful. I often wonder why it considered a weed.
I’d guess because it outgrows everything else. I see places in spring that have many thousands of seedlings along both sides of certain trails and I’m always glad I don’t have to pull them all.
So happy to see your posts now and then as you get the urge, during your retirement. You put a big smile on my face. You’re making good use of that new camera you got a while back.
I had been wondering what ate and dispersed buttonbush. Thanks for that. But I wonder how ducks would reach the seed heads.
Bye,
Doreen
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Hi Doreen. From what I’ve seen many buttonbush seedheads grow low to the ground and I would guess that once ripe they must all fall off the bush since I never see any sign of them in spring. I’ll have to pay closer attention.
Yes, that little Olympus camera is worth all that it cost. I’d have trouble taking blog worthy photos without it!