joe pye weed

A single Joe Pye Weed plant popped up near the pond.  

This plant Eutrochium maculatum, is also called Spotted Joe-pye Weed, Purple Boneset, Spotted Trumpetweed.  It is related to the similar Boneset which blooms white instead of purple or pink.

yellow loosestrife

 

violets by pond

Blue Violets Viola sororia grow in the riparian area around the pond.  These plants are larval host plants for several species of butterflies.

harvesting wildflower seeds

 

sneezeweed

Sneezeweed Helenium autumnale, a late-summer bloomer, will feed bees and butterflies and unfold their blooms continuously until the first freeze here.  Sneezeweed can be identified by the wings in each stem; the base of the leaf extends down the stem to the next leaf.  

vivipary = seed heads sprouting

This wildflower was finished blooming and was forming seeds. But its seed head sprouted green leaves!  Fascinated, I looked closer.  Some of new seeds were actually germinating and sprouting while still in the seed head. Usually, they wait until they are in the perfect place (soil, moisture, temperature, sunlight) to begin new growth.  Sometimes you see this while seeds are still inside the fruit, like a tomato or green pepper.  In plants, it is called vivipary (Latin for 'live birth') and involves seeds germinating before their determined time.  I first learned about this a few years ago when my grandson sent me a photo of a sunflower seed head that was doing the same thing.

senna

Wild Senna Cassia hebecarpa or Senna hebecarpa grows in the riparian area around our pond. The seeds may be eaten by wild turkeys, wandering through, and the flowers attract bumblebees who are looking for pollen. The plant also has "extra-floral nectaries" which are a nectar source separate from the flowers; they are adjacent to flower buds on the stems. Read more at 

https://xerces.org/blog/plants-for-pollinators-wild-senna.

boneset, golden in autumn

One native wildflower here displays tufts of seeds that look golden, although the plants are still vital with green leaves.  The seeds have fluffy hairs to carry them on the wind.
 

vervain, golden in autumn

 

Blue Verain Verbena hastata gave a blue-purple pop of color to the pond area in summer. 

Now, the seeds stand glowing against the green reeds. 

golden alexanders, golden in autumn

 

Among the yellow, purple, and white flowers in the riparian area surrounding the pond, the Golden Alexanders Zizia aurea have long gone to seed.  

They bloomed a sunny yellow in May and June. Now, the seeds still stand in umbels on strong stems.  The entire plant material remaining turns a golden purple-tinged color -- lovely among the autumn asters.

purple asters

 

New England Asters

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

bloom along with the white and lavender 

colored asters around the pond. 

 They add to the display of riotous color

 in late summer.

bee on asters

 

The asters are abuzz with pollinators.  While standing among the wildflowers, I hear the buzzing as loud and pleasant.  There are many Panicled Aster Symphyotrichum lanceolatum plants in the riparian area around the pond.  The nectar and pollen of the flowerheads attract many kinds of insects, including honeybees, bumblebees, wasps, flies, butterflies, skippers, and beetles.  I have not seen any Wild Turkey here, but they feed on the seeds and foliage of aster plants.  Maybe some day . . . 

bugs by the pond

If you would walk around this pond today, you might see many insects on the flowers.  

Along with searching for a meal, they also carry pollen from plant to plant. Pollen allows the plants to set seeds and reproduce more plants of the same kind.

Here, a Leatherwing on Boneset flowers. This insect also eats eggs and larvae of other insects.

Below, a Ladybug sits on milkweed flowers.  Ladybugs eat aphids, scale insects, and other plant pests.

 

blue vervain

Blue Vervain Verbena hastata blooms among the green grasses and rushes around the pond.  

It likes wet feet, so grows close to the water.  

The flowers open slowly over several weeks from the bottom up on a cluster of stems.
 

maltese cross

 A volunteer plant in the area around the pond - - Maltese Cross.

Its really red flowers are welcome among all the purple, white, and yellow.

It has naturalized in some parts of Minnesota. It can be found along roadsides and other disturbed areas, as well as open woodlands, in the northern United States and Canada.

mountain mint

Mountain Mint Pycnanthemum virginianum  is blooming in the marsh around the pond.  

It offers very fragrant leaves and many small flowers that attract bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, and beetles.

royal catchfly

 

Royal Catchfly Silene regia makes its bright red flowers stand out among the white and purple wildflowers now blooming. 

This family of plants was named 'catchfly' because it has a sticky seed pod behind the flower.  Little flies, gnats, and other tiny insects get stuck on the sticky pod or stem.

Butterflies also pollinate this wildflower.

crown vetch

A creeping plant that was used in the past as erosion control on embankments and roadsides, Crown Vetch Securigera varia is sprinkled among the grasses and rushs around the pond.  Pretty lavender and purple blossoms among the greens, but it can take over native plants in this area. 

Since this is a non-native invasive plant that can compete with native wildflowers, we will be removing it or cutting it back.

bug on daisy

I was admiring the daisies.  A Squash Bug was also admiring it, close up!  

northern blue flag

Iris versicolor, the Northern Blue Flag, is blooming near the pond.  It does not mind having its 'feet' wet and often grows in a few inches of water.

The blue to purple flowers stand out from the grasses and reeds around it, but the sword-like leaves blend into all that green!

This plant attracts both butterflies and hummingbirds, and may be known as Blue Flag Iris, Harlequin Blue Flag, Northern Iris, and Wild Iris.