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Yellow, Summer Into Autumn
Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus). Blooming with a color that I like to call screaming yellow because it is so bright. Perfect for bringing cheer. An herbaceous perennial native to eastern and central North America. These cheery flowers attract many pollinators. Butterflies, skippers, beetles, pollinating flies, bees, and beneficial wasps seek their pollen and nectar. The…
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White Snakeroot
White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima), is an herbaceous perennial that blooms from early autumn until frost. Native to the eastern United States and Canada. Its flowers are an important source of food at the end of the season for bees, moths, flies, and butterflies. White Snakeroot plants grow to be 2 to 4 feet tall. They prefer…
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Late Thoroughwort
Late Thoroughwort (Eupatorium serotinum). A poisonous perennial herbaceous plant that is native to eastern North America. Many insects such as bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, skippers, moths and beetles are attracted to these flowers mostly for the nectar. Late Thoroughwort is one of the last wildflowers to bloom in the autumn, and before we know it, autumn…
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Nettleleaf Sage
A member of the Mint family (Lamiaceae), Nettleleaf Sage (Salvia urticifolia) is an herbaceous perennial that is native to the southeastern United States, with some found in Pennsylvania which is the northernmost part of its range. It grows to 1 ½-2 feet tall, with square stems of green, that are pubescent. Leaves are opposite on short…
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Everlasting Pea
Everlasting Pea (Lathyrus latifolius) native to Europe. An herbaceous perennial vine that has 3 to 6 foot long winged stems. It’s occasionally found along woodland edges, at the sites of old homesteads or in this case at the site of an abandoned church along a dirt road in the mountains. The seeds of Everlasting Pea…
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Fourleaf Milkweed
Fourleaf Milkweed (Asclepias quadrifolia). Blooming in the palest of pink, along the trails up here in the mountains, May to July. Providing nectar for bumble bees and other bees, flies, ants, wasps, butterflies and moths. One of the larval host plants of Monarch Butterflies. A perennial herb with a single stem emerging from a rhizome. Not…
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Wild Ginger a Great Groundcover
Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) is a perennial, herbaceous plant, native to eastern North America. I find it here in the higher elevations. It spreads by rhizomes and makes a lovely groundcover in shade or part shade. I find it doesn’t care for the driest days of hot summer, but responds with appreciation when I water…
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Solomon’s Plume
Solomon’s Plume (Maianthemum racemosum), an herbaceous perennial in the lily family (Liliaceae). The berries are a brilliant crimson right now at the end of October, and easy to spot along trails in the mountains. Just as easy to spot, in the spring, are the flowers which bloom for about 3 weeks, late April into May.…
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Pokeweed
Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana). A poisonous, herbaceous, perennial plant with red stalks that can grow to be 3 to 10 feet tall. And under perfect conditions can reach more than 20 feet tall. It’s native to eastern North America, the Midwest, the South, through Texas, New Mexico and Arizona to the West Coast. All parts of the plant…
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Woodland Sunflower
Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus). An herbaceous perennial that often grows to 5 – 7 feet tall. It’s native to eastern and central North America and can be found along rocky trails and dry open sites. As this example, as it dances in the dappled sunlight shows, the leaves are opposite with a smooth to slightly toothed margin…