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Early
Summer Flowers Our early summer flowers show more color than the spring ephemerals which are predominately white. The woodlands have now become an area of deep shade as the leaf canopy has closed overhead and the spring wildflowers that so recently put a song in our hearts, with their show of glory, are gone until next year. But there are still many new wildflowers to see and enjoy as our season progresses. Mountain Laurels are at their peak with their showy long lasting pale pink blossoms contrasting against deep green shiny leaves. It is easy to see why it was chosen as our state flower. Other pink florescences include the Pink Lady Slipper which has bloomed prolifically these past weeks in pockets of dappled sun light, often in woodlands containing conifers. On rocky outcrops that get some sunlight, Pale Corydalis with its rue-like leaves and pink tubular flowers, and 'yellow lips' continues putting out their soft delicate beauty from the harsh environmental footholds of crevices in the rock face. Nice specimens can be found on the rock outcroppings in the Van Wie and Limited Partnership properties. White flowers don't only occur in spring. As summer approaches, they are still copiously represented beside the roadsides and in the meadows. Black Locust trees are heavy with large fragrant clusters of sweetpea-like flowers. And we can't help but notice the blossoms of the mulitflora rose, as this invasive plant has spread in every quarter along roadsides and fields. |
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| Daisies,
the favorite posy of small children, magically appear, in just a few years,
in any open disturbed place and are a dominate wildflower just now in Branford.
Wild Madder, one of the bedstraw family, is resplendent in soft feathery
clusters of white flowers. Some of the less showy and often less noticed
white flowers are those with wonderfully strange and esoteric names and
are currently in their first blush. Many of these are in the Pink family
of flowers such as Evening Lychnis, Bladder Campion, Bouncing Bet and Sleepy
Catchfly. Some may further blush into soft shades of pink, and most are
easily recognized by an inflated area just under the petals called the calyx
sac.
The blue/violet flowers are my favorites. Blue flowers are not very common color in nature. Robin Plaintain is a soft lilac color and tends to show this shade more so after being picked. Bluets still abound, though they frustratingly never seem to photograph true to color. Vetch, once commonly used by the state highway department to control erosion on steep slopes has spread throughout most roadsides and meadows. It often climbs over other plants as if reaching out for more sunlight. My favorite of the early blue wildflowers is Blue Toadflax, a member of the snapdragon family. This flower often occurs in large clusters of plants which gives this slender delicate blue wildflower a bit more definition. The deepest of the blue/violet shades this time of year is represented by the horse nettles and the nightshades. But to me, the yellow flowers will ultimately dominate the summer and fall. Towering above all in the meadow are the Yellow Sweet Clovers. And spread at their base are often mats of one of the Hop Clovers with their tiny florescences. More softly colored yellows are represented by the Rough-Fruited Cinquefoils. These resemble some of the Potentillas we purchase at nurseries for our garden. Those lucky enough to take a walk in the Limited Partnership properties will come across Dwarf Dandelions tucked in the rock outcropping at one end of the property. These tiny delicate composites are like dandelions with class. Hope you get to see this display. Deeper shades of yellow areportrayed by the hawk weeds which are just now coming into bloom. The most outstanding of the yellows are the Birdfoot Trefoil with its shocking 'lemon meringue' yellow. It is a favorite food source of Clouded Sulphur butterflies. The best is yet to come. Most of the lovely wild orchids bloom in June, July and August and September. There are a great many new wildflowers to discover as the seasons progress. Because those spring ephemerals herald the entry of spring, and break the long grip of winter, we tend to love them best. But just wait, those heat loving wildflowers will make your heart glad that you took a stroll in the woods in the heart of summer.
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