The official 2010 Spring wildflowers thread...

[audrey]

John, if you could get a picture of the white penstemon's leaves, that would be helpful. Also, estimate the height of the plant.

 

[RickB.]

Alpine flowers today, 6-22-10, above timberline in the Presidentials.

Bog Laurel

Mountain Heath

Need help with this

 

[JohnL]

John, if you could get a picture of the white penstemon's leaves, that would be helpful. Also, estimate the height of the plant.

Height = 3 feet.

RickB, beautiful Bog Laurel.

JohnL

 

[dangergirl]

Beautiful pictures! I love to see all the flowers out while I am hiking, especially the tiny ones up high! Very nice thread!

 

[w7xman]

Need help with this

Great shots...I love these later blooming small alpine communities! The flower you have here is cassiope, sometimes known as moss plant or moss flower.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Mountain Laurel in the Catskills (credit to Laurie)

 

[JohnL]

Can anyone identify this flower? Is it a wildflower or a domestic escapee? Thanks.

JohnL

 

[arghman]

Can anyone identify this flower? Is it a wildflower or a domestic escapee? Thanks.

looks like Diervilla lonicera

 

[w7xman]

Orchid Time...

The orchids are coming to a bog near you! Photographed a Grass Pink this morning in the P-C Bog!

 

[RickB.]

Wood Lilies today, 6-25-10, in the Belknaps

 

[JohnL]

A walk around the local wetlands yielded some nice finds yesterday.

Pickerelweed

Canada Lily

Day Lily

JohnL

 

[Jason Berard]

I love looking at this thread every year! I haven't posted much this time, but I had a few I thought I would add. The first couple go in the "not flowers but I thought I'd throw them in anyway" category. The second two are the same flower, I am really stuck on what it is...it was quite small, maybe 2" max height, and located in a wet, shady area with cedars and white pines.

hungry hermit thrush babies...out of focus, I know....

painted turtle crossing the road

???

??? again

thanks for any help!

 

[audrey]

Jason, very nice...that's a one-flowered pyrola (Moneses uniflora). I've only seen them in Colorado.

It's scary how thrushes build their nests right on the ground. Our first dog Clio once found a nest of newly hatched chicks and ever so gently picked up the edge of the nest and brought it to us. We put it right back, of course, and hurried along.

 

[Jason Berard]

Audrey, thanks! I checked out a few sites, and see that it is somewhat rare, in NE, but not listed as such on the VT NHP list.... I wonder if I should mention the occurrence to someone?

As for the nest, that has sparked a few discussions about the safety of ground nests.....

 

[JohnL]

A few more from the wetlands and nearby woods.

Red Campion

Chicory

Common St. John's Wort

Spotted Touch-me-not

Swamp Candles aka Bog Loosestrife

JohnL

 

[arghman]

Audrey, thanks! I checked out a few sites, and see that it is somewhat rare, in NE, but not listed as such on the VT NHP list.... I wonder if I should mention the occurrence to someone?

nah, I think uncommon, not rare. I ran into a few on my Mt Isolation hike + then later a whole bunch by the Moore reservoir. I've never seen it in the southern part of the state but you run into it in the northern forest from time to time.

 

[JohnL]

I came across a similar comment when I was identifying the Red Campion (above). The Nat'l Audobon Society Field Guide to Wildflowers Eastern Region notes in the Comments section of the identification to the White Campion "Also very similar is the quite rare Red Campion (S. dioica) which has pink flowers." I could not find any other comments on rarity on several web sites. I passed three plant groupings of S. dioica within a half-mile stretch of trail this weekend. Either it's not rare or only rare outside of my town.

John

 

[RickB.]

I don't believe that Red Campion (Silene/Lychnis dioica) is even native to North America.

 

[arghman]

I don't believe that Red Campion (Silene/Lychnis dioica) is even native to North America.

From the USDA PLANTS database:

Introduced Information:
Silene dioica (L.) Clairville

This plant is introduced to some part of the PLANTS Floristic Area, though it may be native in other parts. Click on link below for a partial or complete list of PFA introduced plants.

USDA PLANTS also indicates whether a species is known to be only introduced (it's colored in a different color on the map). So it's probably native to a subset of its North American range.

 

[RickB.]

From the USDA PLANTS database:



USDA PLANTS also indicates whether a species is known to be only introduced (it's colored in a different color on the map). So it's probably native to a subset of its North American range.

Thanks, Argh. Two of my guides list them as alien, the reason for my comment.

Anyway, nice shots, John! Isn't it amazing what's out there, even on the roadsides, when we raise our awareness?