Perfect time to smell the Daisies!

If you're planning to get a look at wildflowers on Green Mountain this summer, this is the time to do it. We're finally getting the payoff for all the rain in May. Many hillsides are bright with color. On the North side we're covered in Yellow Sweet Clover (Melilotus officinale)  which isn't great since it's an invasive plant, but the color's nice! The South Side has more Spiderwort (Tradescantia occidentalis) than I have ever seen, and they're big, healthy plants with their deep purple triangular flowers. 

You'll find some white Larkspur (Delphinium carolinium), which is taller than the purple Larkspur we had earlier in the Spring. These can stand 2-3' tall and may have small purple spots on them.

One of the cycles I've enjoyed watching this year is in a really simple group of daisies called the Fleabanes. They are in the Asteraceae (sunflower) Family and all are in the Erigeron species. They look nearly identical--small white daisies with yellow centers--but they have a few characteristics that distinguish them.

The earliest is Sprawling Fleabane, Erigeron tracyi, which is one of the earliest wildflowers. It has a very simple form, a stem that may reach 6" or so with one flower on the end. The leaves are nearly all basal. There may be a couple small ones near the base.

Sprawling Fleabane

As the Sprawling Fleabane start to fade in the heat, Spreading Fleabane (Erigeron divergens). starts to bloom. These have flower heads that are slightly larger, but the plant is definitely bushier, with lots of leaves on the stems.

Spreading Fleabane

If you go up on the trails right now, you'll see big patches of white Fleabane on the hillsides. These are Whiproot Fleabane (Erigeron flagellaris). These are the most interesting in the way they spread--they send out long stolons across the ground, which root to form new plants. Stolons are a type of stem that can form roots, and thus a new plant. This is why we see Fleabane in big patches this time of year.

Whiproot Fleabane

You may be wondering about the name Fleabane. The flowers were used to repel fleas, so it is the bane of fleas. Daisy refers to the bright gold disk in the center of the buds, which looks like the sun--or the "Day's Eye." Erigeron is from the Greek, meaning "old man, because of the gray wispy "hair" on top of the flower as the seeds ripen. 

Incidentally, the common names I give may vary depending on which guidebook you may be using. That's why I provide the genus and species name, too. Those should be more reliable, although they can change as DNA research turns up new twists in plant genealogy!

Evening Primrose on the Mountain

If you have a chance to see Green Mountain through the rain, you'll see wildflowers at their peak this weekend.  As I write this the rain seems to be letting up and the weekend is supposed to be drier so I hope you can get out and enjoy it.

I was at the Florida trailhead on Wednesday morning, and there were so many flowers blooming in that area that it was tempting to just hang out there. The trail to the south from the parking lot is a great place to see lots of variety without much walking. About 100 yards around the trail is a rocky spot that harbors Stemless Evening Primrose (Oenothera caespitosa). They seem to really like the cobbly rock on the hillside to the west and grow right out of the rock. If you're there after noon you may only find the fading flowers from the morning, as they change from bright white to pink. Another variety of Evening Primrose, Hooker's (Oenothera hookeri) blooms on the west side of the mountain. I've seen it near the Rooney trailhead and on Dinosaur Ridge, but never on the east side. As its flowers fade, they turn bright orange. Both of these flowers are easy to recognize by their four petals, and four anthers and prominent stamen in the center of the flower.

Stemless Evening Primrose

 Another variety of Evening Primrose, Hooker's (Oenothera hookeri) blooms on the west side of the mountain. I've seen it near the Rooney trailhead and on Dinosaur Ridge, but never on the east side. As its flowers fade, they turn bright orange. Both of these flowers are easy to recognize by their four petals, and the prominent anthers and four-parted stamen in the center of the flower.

Hooker's Evening Primrose

One last member of this family that is blooming now on Green Mountain is smaller and harder to notice. It's called Scarlet Gaura (Gaura coccinea).  It only stands about 6-8" tall and the scarlet color is muted--it looks mostly white. But it is an interesting little flower, sometimes called Beeplant, because of the pollinators it attracts. Look for it on the trailsides as you're hiking!

Scarlet Gaura