Flower for the Day Aster 10-5-2020

The asters have been blooming for more than a month. We have two types of aster, Tatarian aster and

New England aster. Tatarian aster (Aster tatericus) grows in a field circle.

It is a real draw for butterflies and can grow to over six feet tall. This year despite all efforts the deer have been eating the leaves and the buds so I have a small crop and they are only four feet tall. Several of my neighbors have six feet tall tatarian asters which grow in areas sheltered from the deer.

The other aster is New England aster (Symphotrichum novae anglia) and is located in multiple areas of the garden. It is a deeper purple color.

Both the deer and the rabbits love this aster but by placing them in multiple areas I do get successful growth.

Butterflies love it.

When the asters show up we know fall is on the way. We had a mild first frost last night.

Flower for the Day Dahlias 10-2-2020

This is a great time of the year for dahlias. I have some that have been blooming since May. They wintered over successfully but it is chancy. Most I put the tubers in brown paper bags in the basement. When they are re-planted they don't bloom until August but then go go on until the freeze. I don't like to stake them so they need room to spread out. They bloom much better if they are regularly dead headed. We love them as cut flowers and their colors just make you want more.

Haiku

How much can I fit

Into a haiku format

Oh no I'm out of

Saved by Jessica Lake

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Labor Day Innsbrook Fireworks 2020

Because of the pandemic the Innsbrook Fourth of July Fireworks were postponed to the Labor day weekend.

Since you missed it here are a few random shots. The really big ones were shot off the dam to our right and were mostly blocked from our sight line. There were six barges in the lake itself and these images are from them.

Flower for the Day Fall Flowers 10-1-2020

These are a few flowers still blooming in the front garden as the weather changes. 

Cosmos

Zinnia

Rose of Sharon

 

Moon Flower

Dahlias and Celosia to come.

Flower for the Day Wingstem 9-30-2020

Wingstem (Verbesina alternifolia) is a perennial forb (herbaceous non-grass  flowering plant) that is in the sunflower family. It is also called yellow ironweed. It is messy and wild.

Its claim to fame is that it grows and grows. These are 8-9 feet tall.

Flower for the Day Spotted Touch-Me-Not 9-29-2020

Here is another new flower which we found on a recent hike. It is a colorful wildflower which lives on a large bush, a spotted touch-me-not (Impatiens capensis). It has orange flowerhead with red spots. It is

is also called orange jewelweed, common jewelweed, spotted jewelweed and orange balsam.

Impatiens is Latin for impatience which refers to the seed which bursts on touch when ripe. This is called explosive dehiscence or ballistochory and results in its name touch-me-not.

Flower for the Day Azure Blue Sage 9-25-20

Azure blue sage (Salvia azure) is a herbaceous perennial that began blooming in August. It is also called azure sage, blue sage, and prairie sage. The blue flowers have sepals (calyxes) that are tubular and furry.

Its fun to find a new flower. The little spikes are interesting.

Flower for the Day Texas Palafox 9-23-2020

This flower bloomed about three weeks ago in several places where I have put wildflowers seeds over the years. I have never seen it before. It is Texas  palafox (Palafox texana). There are at least three large plants.

Palafox is in the aster family. It is a drought-tolerant annual herb that grows on sandy plains and rangeland.

How it appeared is a mystery. This genus is named after Jose de Palafox y Melzi, Duke of Saragossa(1776–1847), a Spanish captain-general, in the war against the invading armies of Napolean.

Texas palafox is mainly found in south Texas but I am happy too have it even though it is described as ephemeral here.

Flower for the Day Slender False Foxglove 9-22-2020

Slender false foxglove (agalinis tenuifolia) is flourishing on a shady hillside. It is a small plant with 

miniature flower heads. The flower buds are white.

Its flower head stands out from the other false foxgloves with two petals forming a hood and the other three flaring out. The corolla is lavender with five rounded lobes. The lower

interior of the corolla has dark purple spots and a pair of faint yellow lines. Near the upper interior of the corolla there are four stamens with hairy white anthers and an undivided white style with a pale yellow tip.

 

 

 

 

 

I love miniature flowers with spots like this one and the Depthford pink.

Don's Blog Mushroom II 9-22-2020

This mushroom is Witches Hat(Hygrocybe conica). It is also called conical waxy cap, blackening wax cap, and the ever popular conical slimy cap. It is a gilled mushroom whose cap (pileus) is 1-9 cm across and whose stalk (stipe) is 3-10 cm tall. These mushrooms develop blackish discolorations ending up looking damaged.The gills of the Witch's Cap start out white but eventually turn yellow and then orange before finally turning black.

          They are edible but no one eats them because they are waxy and slimy. I wouldn't eat           them because I don't eat wild mushrooms whether they are named or not. It does have           a shiny and perky look.