Common Sneezeweed – November 2016 Wildflower of the Month

December 28, 2016

Golden, daisy-like petals surround the round, yellow centers of this late summer perennial (Helenium autumnale). The common name is misleading—the plant isn’t a weed, and it doesn’t cause sneezing, since the pollen is too heavy to be carried by wind. Some Native American tribe members dried the leaves and used them as snuff to cause…

2019 Nature Camp

October 3, 2016

Application: 2019 Joint Application     Share this post: Share on Facebook Share on X (Twitter) Share on Pinterest

Cutleaf Coneflower – October 2016 Wildflower of the Month

September 13, 2016

A valuable addition to the wild garden, Green-headed Coneflower typically grows 5-8 feet tall with bright yellow flowers that can be five inches across.  This daisy-like flower with drooping rays has green center cones that are unusual in this genus of the Black-eyed and Brown-eyed Susans. The leaves of these three common members of the…

Turtlehead – September 2016 Wildflower of the Month

September 13, 2016

These flowers are well named because when viewed from the side, they look just like a turtle with its mouth open; the “mouth” actually opens when the sides are pushed in. White and tinged with pink, the flowers are one inch long in short spikes at the ends of 1-3-foot stems. Dark green leaves are…

Boneset – August 2016 Wildflower of the Month

September 13, 2016

Boneset gets its name from the long, lance-shaped leaves that are paired and fused on the stem, without petioles.  Because the stem appears to be growing through the leaf, early herb doctors wrapped its leaves with bandages around splints, thinking the plant would be useful in setting bones. Treating body problems with the plants that…

Wild Hydrangea – July 2016 Wildflower of the Month

June 16, 2016

Hydrangeas are a popular garden plant, especially the old-fashioned snowball, or ‘Annabelle’ hydrangea which is a naturally occurring variant of the Wild or Smooth Hydrangea. This species is native to nearly every county in Virginia, growing in ravines, wooded slopes and stream banks from New York to Florida and west to Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma and Louisiana.…

Blue-eyed Grass – June 2016 Wildflower of the Month

June 13, 2016

Not a grass, but a member of the Iris Family, this little blue flower has a yellow eye; each of the six petal-like parts has a bristle tip. Leaves are narrow, branching and grasslike, 6-18 inches tall. Flower color ranges from pale blue to deep blue-violet, the flower size from ¼” to ¾” wide. Blooming…

Posion Ivy-May 2016 Wildflower of the Month

May 23, 2016

“Leaflets 3, let it be!” Few plants carry 3-parted compound leaves, and this is an easy way to recognize a very irritating plant. Some bean vines have 3-parted leaves, but poison ivy is woody, and attaches with aerial roots. Not related to invasive English ivy, poison ivy can grow as an erect shrub or climber.…

Possumhaw – April 2016 Wildflower of the Month

March 23, 2016

Possumhaw Viburnum, (Viburnum nudum), is a gorgeous shrub, with creamy-white spring flowers and dark green, glossy leaves in the summer. The flowers appear in April and May and are pollinated by many small insects, including hoverflies and sweat bees. In the fall the leaves are a rich burgundy and the flowers have developed into multi-colored fruits –…

Seedbox – March 2016 Wildflower of the Month

February 22, 2016

A look at the fruits makes it clear why this plant is called Seedbox –numerous little brown boxes no larger than ¼ inch in diameter are visible in the winter when leaves are absent. Seedbox grows 2-3 feet tall, and has many branches with smooth stems, covered with the almost-square fruits. In summer small, yellow…