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Category: Wildflowers

Goat’s Rue (Tephrosia virginiana)

Goat’s Rue (Tephrosia virginiana)

Goat’s rue (Tephrosia virginiana) is a perennial legume native to the eastern United States. Its two-colored flowers, which bloom in clusters at the tops of the stems, resemble sweet peas. The lower petals are pink, while the upper petal (i.e., the “standard”) is a pale yellow. The leaves are alternately arranged and pinnately compound with numerous narrow leaflets. Both the stems and leaves are covered with downy hairs giving the plant a silvery frosted appearance. Goat’s rue grows to approximately…

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White Clover (Trifolium repens)

White Clover (Trifolium repens)

With all the abundance of blooming wildflowers that spring brings, it’s often easy to overlook the unassuming common, weedy species like dandelions, purple deadnettle, and clover. White clover (Trifolium repens) is common in fields and lawns (much to the chagrin of folks trying to maintain that weed-free lawn look). The flowers begin white and then change to pink and then to brown as they age. From far away, the flowers seem fairly round and simple. But up close, clover flowers…

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Wildflower Wednesday: Bird’s foot violet

Wildflower Wednesday: Bird’s foot violet

Violets are blooming everywhere right now. I see them in fields and along the edges of forested trails. I even have wild violets growing in my gravel driveway and through the cracks between the bricks in my walkway. One of my favorites though is the bird’s foot violet (Viola pedata) – one of the most distinctive of the Violas. And with its ability to thrive in sandy, gravelly soil, these violets are quite common on Cape Cod.  Unlike most violets…

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Happy Earth Day 2020

Happy Earth Day 2020

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day. It’s worth acknowledging all the positive changes that have been enacted over the last 50 years – the enacting the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act, endangered species like the bald eagle have rebounded from the brink of extinction, rivers are no longer on fire and don’t run the color of whatever the upstream dye factory happens to be producing on a given day, and renewable energy options…

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Wild Edible Recipe: Garlic Mustard Pesto

Wild Edible Recipe: Garlic Mustard Pesto

This past weekend my boyfriend and I went for a walk to gather stinging nettle for dinner, and came across a large patch of young garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) as well. One of best parts about picking garlic mustard as a wild edible is that it’s also incredibly invasive, like Japanese knotweed and autumn olive. So you’re doing the ecosystem a favor when you harvest it. In fact, one of my wild edible books describes garlic mustard as “universally despised…

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Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) is an introduced wildflower from Europe, likely from early settlers that cultivated it for its medicinal value. It had been one of the most popular European remedies for a wide range of chest complaints. In fact, the root of the genus name Tussilago comes from the Lain word tussis, which means ”cough” – a reference to the supposed curative powers of coltsfoot. The flower buds, young flowers, and young leaves are also edible raw or cooked. Some caution…

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Nature Study Goals 2019/2020

Nature Study Goals 2019/2020

For many, New Years is a time for making resolutions. For me, it’s a great time for reflecting on what I’ve accomplished in the past year and setting intentions and goals for the new year to come in terms of nature study.  Below is a run down of how I did on my 2019 goals and what I hope to accomplish in 2020. My goals for 2019 included: 1. Post to Seashore to Forest Floor regularly. — I managed to post…

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Pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata)

Pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata)

Despite its diminutive size, pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata) can be found in the Peterson Field Guide for Trees and Shrubs. This subshrub, which grows only 4 to 10 inches high, is described as a “creeping evergreen” (it spreads through underground runners), and as “hardly woody”. Pipsissewa can be identified by its whorls of leathery, shiny, coarsely toothed leaves. The dried 5-capsuled fruits produced by its stalked flowers often remain on the plant throughout much of the winter as well, providing additional…

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Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

With the start of October comes our slow turning towards the cold season. My yard is peppered with acorns, leaves are starting to yellow, and many wildflowers are noticeable now more for their striking seed pods than their colorful blooms. One of my favorites (is it weird to have favorite seed pods?) are the seed pods of the milkweed genus (Asclepias).  One of our common native milkweeds is butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), also known as orange milkweed. Where it is…

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Wildflower Wednesday: Bull Thistle

Wildflower Wednesday: Bull Thistle

As a group of plants, thistles are well known for their spiny leaves and large pinkish purple flower heads. Most species are biennials, producing only a basal rosette of leaves in their first year. The characteristic flowering stalks are not produced until the plant’s second year. Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare), although native to much of Europe, has naturalized across much of North America.  It is a large thistle generally found in fields and waste places. It can grow 3 to…

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