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Dr Seuss Flowers
Scarlet Beebalm (Monarda didyma) It seems to be a flower from a drawing by Dr Seuss and certainly one designed just for my Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. It’s a flower that always makes me think of fireworks and the 4th of July. Native to eastern North America, it’s a perennial plant that is 2 to 4 feet…
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Hemiparasitic
Downy False Foxglove (Aureolaria virginica) is a plant that is hemiparasitic. This means it has chlorophyll and performs photosynthesis but also depends upon another plant for some of its water and/or nutrients. In the case of Downy False Foxglove, the plant that it choses to depend upon is the White Oak (Quercus alba). A plant…
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Dogbane Leaf Beetle
A dazzling jewel in the world of insects. The Dogbane Leaf Beetle (Chrysochus auratus). As you might guess because of its name, the Dogbane Leaf Beetle depends to a great extent on the many species of Apocynaceae, the Dogbane family. Not a difficult task, since there are 4,555 species in that family, which includes Milkweed…
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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…