Here is the same Beautyberry bush that I wrote about on August 4th, 2020.  It was blooming then, showing only green berries.  It is still not all the way into its glory, but starting to show color.  I'll get another picture when it's fully colored.  I know you'll agree that it is fabulous.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!!

 

This is New York Ironweed, Vernonia noveboracensis; but it is also called Ironweed.  

 

Ironweed is a native plant in the eastern US, and it is blooming right now.  There is some in the field just before you turn onto Mocassin Church Rd, and this one is in the Union County Methodist Church parking lot.  They grow from 3-9 feet tall, and bloom from August-October.  Butterflies love them for their nectar:  lots of flowers close together.  

 

You can see them in waste places, roadsides, and low ground from New York south to Florida, and west to Alabama, Kentucky and West Virginia.  So be on the lookout when you're out for a drive.  The color of the flowers just takes my breath away.  Here's a close up pic.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

I found this Papyrus growing in a ditch at Nags Head.  Yep, that Papyrus, the plant that the Egyptians used to make paper.  It is beautiful, and it really surprised me to see it growing there.  I cut three stems and put them in a vase on the picnic table for the weekend.  

 

OK, when I looked it up in my Exotica book, I found that it is NOT papyrus, but in the same family: Cyperaceae.  Papyrus is Cyprus papyrus, and this plant is Cyprus strigosus.  So, same genus, different species.  Like the difference between the Trout sisters:  same genus, (Trout) but different sisters: Linda, Betsy, Gerry, and Julie.  

 

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about it:    Cyperus papyrus, papyrus sedge, is a species of aquatic flowering plant belonging to the sedge family Cyperaceae. It is a  native to Africa, and forms tall stands of reed-like swamp vegetation in shallow water.  Papyrus sedge (and its close relatives) has a very long history of use by humans, notably by the Ancient Egyptians—it is the source of papyrus paper, one of the first types of paper ever made. Parts of the plant can be eaten, and the highly buoyant stems can be made into boats. It is now often cultivated as an ornamental plant.

 

 

So you can see they are very similar, and now you know the difference.  Well, I am going to keep calling this Papyrus, because I can remember that.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

 

Hi Julie.  Happy Birthday!!!  I bet you never got flowers like these before.  

 

Years ago, Sharon gave me a cutting of her Night blooming Cereus.  It rode in the back seat all the way home.  Last year it started blooming, and this year it has bloomed twice.  This time with three flowers!!!  They started opening about 10 pm, and were fully open (this picture) by 11.  Each flower is bigger than your open hand, maybe 8-10 inches across.  And they smell heavenly!!  Wish we coulda had a party.  They closed up about 4 am: done......until next time.  

 

I wish you had been here.  Hope your birthday is HAPPY!!!  ❤️❤️❤️

 

This Hoary Mountain Mint is growing down on the Creekside Trail, but it's also growing all over the mountains and in fields. 

 

It is definitely a member of the mint family, with square stems and opposite leaves; and when you crush the leaves, you can smell MINT.  This particular mint looks as if the upper leaves have been dusted with white powder.   It blooms from July through October.  The small, purple dotted, whitish flowers are arranged in dense rounded heads.  See?

 

It is really easy to notice the plants at 25 mph, growing about 2-3 feet tall, right on the sides of the roads.  Be sure to look for it on your next road trip.

 

HAPPY TRAVELS!!!

 

Al told me he sat for 15 minutes to get this picture of a Fritillary on his Verbena hanging basket.  If you know Al, that is nothing short of AMAZING!!

 

What he was waiting for was the butterfly to land with its wings open.  I am so glad he waited;  this picture is gorgeous.  I thought it would be a nice way to start your day.  

 

Thanks Al, for sharing with all of us.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

While I was in my garden, talking to Sandy Bradley on the phone, this Tiger Swallowtail visited the Passiflora and had a snack.  It stayed long enough for me to get a bunch of pictures.  You can see how big they both are, about 4 inches across.

 

Tiger Swallowtails will find nectar in all the flowers in our garden:  Marigolds, Passiflora, Zinnias;  but when it's time to lay eggs, the females will go to the Tulip Poplar and Wild Cherry trees.  These are the host plants, providing food for the caterpillars.  The caterpillars will stay on the host plants until they are ready to cocoon.  When they emerge as adult butterflies, they will feed on nectar plants.  Nectar plants are just about everything that's blooming:  Echinacea, Black eyed Susies, Marigolds, Poppies, Cosmos, Coreopsis, Joe Pye weed, New York Ironweed, etc.......

 

I'm so glad I let the Passiflora grow.  This Tiger Swallowtail is too. 

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

We saw these mushrooms the other day while collecting Chanterelles.  Seek told me they are Trumpet mushrooms.  OK.

 

I just looked up Trumpets in my mushroom book, and yep, it's true.  The picture in the book is almost an exact copy of this one.  It says:  vase-shaped and related to Chanterelles!!!  And they are fragrant.  Didn't notice that.  Now I need to go back there and smell them.  

 

Edibility?  The field guide says Choice.  What does that mean?  Your choice to eat them or not, or does it mean choice like cuts of beef.  I need to think about this.....I am not crazy enough to eat anything I can't identify POSITIVELY.  Besides, these aren't all that tempting.

 

So, don't worry about me:  I am a bit curious, but also EXTREMELY CAUTIOUS.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

We were admiring Rosalie's zinnias, looking for deadheads to gather for seeds, and this Spicebush Swallowtail came to visit too.  

 

I can never tell from the description in the book which is the male and which is the female, (this one is definitely one or the other) but I am sure it is a Spicebush Swallowtail, also called "Green-clouded Swallowtail."  See the greenish cloud?  

 

Another way I know that this is a Spicebush Swallowtail is because there are a bunch of Spicebushes down on the Creekside Trail, and we've seen their caterpillars down there.  Spicebush is most distinctive in early spring when it's blooming.  I'll get you a picture then.  

 

Meanwhile, I love seeing butterflies in my garden, and all around the neighborhood.  They feel like flying flowers.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

Nancy and I were walking on the trail the other day, and noticed LOTS of this grass growing.  I asked Seek to identify it for us, and learned that it is called Japanese Stiltgrass.  So when I got home I looked it up, and this is what I found.

 

Its botanical name is Microstegium vimineum.  It is an annual grass with common names like Packing grass and Nepalese browntop, and has adapted itself to live in low light conditions.  Stiltgrass is native to South and East Asia, and has become an invasive species here.  This is what I read in Wikipedia:  

 

 

White tail deer don't browse the Stiltgrass, but eat other species nearby, opening the space for the Stiltgrass to spread and take over.  It is also a common habitat for ticks, so be sure to check your feet and legs after wading through the tall grass.  

 

I have always loved seeing this greenery growing on the forest floor.  Now, maybe not so much.  But, it's better to know than not know.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!