What’s in Bloom |Scaly Blazing Star
August 9, 2021

What’s in Bloom |Scaly Blazing Star

August 8, 2021 Scaly Blazing Star (Liatris squarrosa) Scaly Blazing Star (Liatris squarrosa) is a perennial wildflower in the aster family with purple tuft-like flowers that are popular with botanists and pollinators alike. These flowers grow above large, square, overlapping bracts for which the plant is named. They grow on unbranched stems 1-3 feet tall with small alternate leaves. Scaly blazing star is native to dry, sunny habitats with rocky or sandy soils such as prairies, savannas, limestone and sandstone glades, and open woodlands.  Populations of unplanted scaly blazing star can be indicators of high-quality native grasslands, as they thrive in dry soils […]

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What’s In Bloom | Downy Rattlesnake Plantain
August 6, 2021

What’s In Bloom | Downy Rattlesnake Plantain

Downy Rattlesnake Plantain (Goodyera pubescens) is an evergreen woodland orchid native to the eastern half of the United States and Canada.Has beautiful, ground-level leaves with unique white veining. Got its common name from its rattlesnake skin-like leaf pattern, its leaf arrangement similar to unrelated plantains, and its down-covered flower stalk. Downy Rattlesnake Plantain (Goodyera pubescens) is a woodland orchid native to […]

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What’s in Bloom | Groundcherries
July 11, 2021

What’s in Bloom | Groundcherries

July 15, 2021 Groundcherries (Physalis spp.) are perennial herbs in the nightshade family. There are seven native species of ground cherry in Virginia that can be distinguished by the shapes and textures of their leaves and flowers, but they all can be identified by their drooping, bell-shaped yellow flowers and golden fruits enclosed by papery heart-shaped husks.  They can be found in a variety of habitats and can be weedy in disturbed area such as pastures and agricultural fields. When ripe, […]

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What’s In Bloom | Solomon’s Seal
July 8, 2021

What’s In Bloom | Solomon’s Seal

Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum) is an herbaceous perennial native to eastern and central United States and Canada.Grows from thick rhizomes as arched, unbranching stems with alternate leaves.Attractive to numerous native pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and birds.Hanging umbels of flowers differentiate it from its lookalike, Eastern Solomon’s Plume, which forms a plume of flowers at the end of each stem. Solomon’s […]

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What’s in Bloom | Common Elderberry
June 30, 2021

What’s in Bloom | Common Elderberry

Common Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) is a perennial deciduous shrub native to the eastern United States and Canada.Grows numerous long stems directly from the base, and spreads via rhizomes.Berries are a great food source for numerous birds and mammals, and are edible by humans.  Common Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) is a perennial deciduous shrub native to the eastern United States and Canada. […]

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What’s in Bloom | Solomon’s-plume
June 4, 2021

What’s in Bloom | Solomon’s-plume

June 1, 2021 Eastern Solomon’s-plume (Maianthemum racemosum) is a perennial herb native to the continental United States and much of Canada.Spreads via thick rhizomes, from which grow un-branching stems in the spring which die back before winter. Though often mistaken for Solomon’s-seal, it produces a distinctive plume of flowers, very different from the hanging flower clusters made by its lookalike.  Eastern […]

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What’s In Bloom | American Fringetree
June 1, 2021

What’s In Bloom | American Fringetree

June 1, 2021 American Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus) is a small deciduous tree native to the southeastern and south central United States.Grows 15-30 foot tall as a tree or shrub.Blooms with beautiful, feathery white flowers in April-June; forms fruits which provide a great food source for birds and other wildlife.Host species to numerous native moths.  American Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus), also known […]

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What’s in Bloom | Tulip-poplar
May 17, 2021

What’s in Bloom | Tulip-poplar

May 17, 2021 Tulip-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) is among the tallest deciduous hardwood trees in North America, between 60-150 feet tall.Native to the eastern USA and Canada.Common name was inspired by yellow-orange tulip-like flowers, blooming May-June. However, it belongs to the family magnoliacea. Has a long history of use by people, primarily for its wood.Provides an abundant food source for native pollinators  Tulip-poplar […]

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