Saturday, June 5, 2010

Flowers of Open Spaces



Perhaps one of you readers could help me identify some flowers? These were all photographed last weekend at Franklin's Open Spaces park. The first three were all growing in the location pictured above: along a stream in full shade, in rather moist soil. The location itself looked like fairies should live there: a fallen tree over the intersection of path and trees made it an intimate space, and the yellow flowers encircled it.



These are the charming yellow flowers that encircled the stream area. I am guessing they are Pakera aurea, golden ragwort. I am particularly interested in this one because I brought home a few seeds. If (and only if) I have correctly identified this, I would like to get some growing in my own wetland.



Some of the same yellow flowers, past their prime - just look at that fantastic foliage!


No idea! This one was quite small and low-growing, and it occupied the same space as the yellow flowers.

Sorry for the not-so-great photo quality. I was holding my toddler while shooting these photos.



The photo is a bit over-exposed, hiding the delicate pink color of the flowers. Wild geranium, Geranium maculatum, perhaps?




Arrow-wood vibernum? (Vibernum paciflorum) Maple-leaf vibernum? (Vibernum acerifolium) Something else entirely?



Some sort of blackberry? If so, these are the largest blackberry blossoms I've ever seen.




Some sort of shrub with yellow flowers and glossy leaves. I've never seen anything like it. It resembles honeysuckle, but only distantly. Maybe northern bush-honeysuckle, Diervilla lonicera?




This wasn't in flower, but it was so cute: just some little leaves among the mosses. Some sort of rue, maybe?




Finally something I recognize! Wild sarsaparilla, Aralia nudicaulis, damaged by leaf miners, with fruit ripening.

2 comments:

Pam J. said...

I don't know what any of them are, but I wish I did. Identifying these pretty little shy woodland flowers is so much harder than ID'ing the exotic stuff. But I'll flip through my 18 (or is it 19?) books on weeds and report back anything I learn.

Scott said...

Just want to confirm the couple I recognize...I think you had Geranium maculatum, Wild Geranium, and Diervilla lonicera, Northern Bush Honeysuckle, correct in your ID. I have both in my yard here in Minneapolis, and that's what they do. (Both are native here also.) Pretty sure the possible Viburnum is not Arrow-Wood, V. dentatum...it's leaves don't have three lobes like that. V. acerifolium is probably the best guess, although V. trilobum, American Cranberrybush, also has three lobed leaves. But they grow up over your head as a large shrub, so those are babies? Just my input...great pix for being accomplished while carrying the baby around !