The temperature may not feel autumn-like, but the changes in vegetation are hinting nature is gearing up for fall. I'm ready!
I'm seeing late summer/autumn wildflowers beginning to pop up amongst the disappearing stands of meadow beauties, coreopsis, orchids, and fleabane that have been slowly fading away. It's kind of sad to no longer see patches of familiar flowers along the wayside. Yet, it's pretty cool to have a change of scenery to liven up my morning.
There's one particular farm road that's only used to plant, monitor, and harvest the cornfields. The rest of the time, it's left to grow as it wishes. It's one of my favorite loops. The walking gets quite challenging as grass covers the rutted path, but it's worth the effort to experience nature as it's supposed to be.
I've seen plants along that road that I haven't seen anywhere else. Some of the flowers seem to appear like magic. One day, only greenery borders the trail, and the next, new life greets me as I stroll along.
I wasn't able to walk that track for a week after tons of rain flooded a section of the road. When it finally dried out enough to navigate, I was amazed at how much the vegetation had changed. The only familiar wildflowers were mountain mint (Pycnanthemum flexuosum) and bitter sneezeweed (Helenium amarum).
I'm seeing late summer/autumn wildflowers beginning to pop up amongst the disappearing stands of meadow beauties, coreopsis, orchids, and fleabane that have been slowly fading away. It's kind of sad to no longer see patches of familiar flowers along the wayside. Yet, it's pretty cool to have a change of scenery to liven up my morning.
There's one particular farm road that's only used to plant, monitor, and harvest the cornfields. The rest of the time, it's left to grow as it wishes. It's one of my favorite loops. The walking gets quite challenging as grass covers the rutted path, but it's worth the effort to experience nature as it's supposed to be.
I've seen plants along that road that I haven't seen anywhere else. Some of the flowers seem to appear like magic. One day, only greenery borders the trail, and the next, new life greets me as I stroll along.
I wasn't able to walk that track for a week after tons of rain flooded a section of the road. When it finally dried out enough to navigate, I was amazed at how much the vegetation had changed. The only familiar wildflowers were mountain mint (Pycnanthemum flexuosum) and bitter sneezeweed (Helenium amarum).
Mountain Mint and Bitter Sneezeweed
In place of the other familiar summer blossoms were some late-season arrivals that will hopefully hang around until winter. One of those was the bearded beggartick (Bidens aristosa). Last autumn, I only ran across two or three of these plants, but over the past few weeks, I've counted at least ten plants around the loop, and they’re started to emerge along the main road too. Along with them, I also found some 'new to me' narrowleaf silkgrass (Pityopsis graminifolia) and woodland sunflowers (Helianthus divaricatus) hiding in the tall grasses.
Bearded Beggartick, Narrowleaf Silkgrass, and Woodland Sunflower
Closer to home, I'm starting to see the transition to blue mistflowers (Conoclinium coelestinum), frost astors (Symphyotrchum pilosum), swamp sunflowers (Helianthus angustifolius), and evening primrose (Oenothera glazioviana) in my garden. Most of my daisy fleabanes (Erigeron strigosus) are gone, but the pretty purple petals of their cousin, Robin's plantain (Erigeron pulchellus) have reappeared amongst the dead stems.
Blue Mistflower, Frost Astor, Evening Primrose, and Robin's Plantain
Morning glories (Ipomoea spp) are taking over the roadside with a combination of native and non-native varieties winding their way over, through, and around all the other vegetation. I'm fascinated by the wild poinsettia (Euphorbia cyathophora), challenging the morning glories for some space. I'm waiting to find out who wins the competition.
Morning Glories and Wild Poinsettia
Heck, it's only October, and I have two more farm roads and the fields to explore after all the corn is harvested. There's no telling what surprises are in store for me on my coming adventures.
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