Yesterday, was a DA Tour Cooke County. Our three main stops, were all ShirleySpecial Spots (SSS).
Our first stop started here. This is not a special Shirley plant ;-). I am always on the look out for any cool bug on poison ivy. None were found on it that day. However, the leaf is colorful, eh!
.
At the first stop, here was a new plant for me, the American Bugleweed (Lycopus americanus). I can’t say I had ever looked at it before, but as I learn more plants I see more that I must stop to identify.
A really tiny flower!
The Sharp-winged Monkey-flower (Mimulus alatus)! This was the special flower at the first stop. However, we did not climb down through the fence to get this close. (FYI, we do have permission). We stayed up on the road. In fact, all we did was look at it through the binoculars. Hey, that is why binoculars are so good, eh! Photo was from 2021 when we did go down to it.
A native thistle, the Horrid Thistle or Bull Thistle (Cirsium horridulum) was along the roadside!
The head had the usual thistle-like fluff!
Jeanne examined the Lizardtail Gaura. This plant has had three name changes. In FNCT, it is listed as Gaura parviflora. Then when I published my book in 2015, it was Gaura mollis. Now according to the WFO Plant List it is now Oenothera curtiflora (June 2022).
On an American Elm we found these galls, Aceria parulmi!
Next and the second stop, was at the False Foxglove (Aureolaria grandiflora)! Another Shirley favorite!
Once the flower falls (like this one did), it will quickly start to turn a dark brown to blackish.
Here is a cool find at the second stop, a Baptisia! We are guessing we never noticed it before. However, because of our search for the Frosted Elfin this past spring, Baptisia is on our radar and jumped out at us!.
I believe it is the Two-colored Indigo (Baptisia x bicolor or just B. bicolor). This is pretty exciting! The closest location online sources show it to be in Grayson County. Jeanne and I, certainly will go back next spring to see it in bloom!
The last stop will be covered tomorrow, another special Shirley stop!
Keep looking!
The more you know, the more you see and the more you see, the more you know.
2 Comments
Wow, this post is all full of goodness! I’ve seen bugleweed before but couldn’t identify it. Super cool about the Baptisia find! And very interesting elm leaf galls.
Wow, this post is all full of goodness! I’ve seen bugleweed before but couldn’t identify it. Super cool about the Baptisia find! And very interesting elm leaf galls.
Sometimes I find that if I wait long enough, soon or later the ID will show up on my door step from someone like you. 🙂 Thank you!