Friday, May 6, 2011

NYC Wildflower Week May 6 - 15

Dicentra eximia - native bleeding heart

For the next nine days I will be photographing wildflowers every day, wherever they might occur in the course of my city travels.  I don't know where I will be going, but I'm pretty sure that wildflowers will be found along the way. At the end I'll create a slideshow. I can't wait to see what's in it!

The New York Times invited readers to submit pictures of wildflowers last year and the result was a collection heavy on tulips and cherry tree blossoms. I was surprised, both by the apologist assertion that it was too late for flowers and that there were just not enough flowers to photograph. So not true! And that is exactly why this week-plus of walks and educational talks is a wonderful resource.

Read more about Wildflower Week activities here.

Here is the BBG's Native Garden (again!). But things change fast and what I posted last month has vanished.

 Osmunda cinnamomea - cinnamon fern

  Anemonella thalictriodes - read more about it at the UBC's Botany Photo of the Day


 Dodecatheon medea - shooting star





 Orontium aquaticum - Golden club

Just a few weeks ago I worried about a lack of water in the kettle pond and was sure that this plant would not bloom. 

 Podophyllum peltatum - May apples

I had not realized that they are planted as companions to the Erythornium americanum - the trout lilies that I love. It makes perfect sense as the trout lilies are dormant after spring and disappear. The May apples, later to emerge, cover the small plants' disappearance in green umbrellas (below).  What is interesting is how complete the cover of each is. The trout lilies are packed together and you'd think there would be no space for anything else. Shallow corms, deep rhizomes.



Thiefus florus

He was communing with some violets and weeding a little. Later, when he started picking flowers I spoke up, very politely, but he looked at me, smiled vaguely, and carried right on. Either a botanical genius or rather fey or plain bonkers.

 Packera aurea - golden groundsel

Why this plant makes me want to read Watership Down again I'm not sure. Those rabbits had good names...I don't think I have seen it available commercially, yet is is wonderfully bright for dappled shade - tall yellow daisies.

 Rhododendron periclymenoides - pinxter azalea ( I think)

I need to learn the difference between Azalea canescens (mountain azalea) and R. periclymenoides (pinxter).

 Osmunda regalis - royal fern [see comments]

Hm. Viola canadensis?

So, that's it. Welcome to wildflower week. Keep your eyes peeled. They may be closer than you think.

7 comments:

  1. I've been meanin to ask you..have you received a new camera? My gut says there be something different about your fairly recent photos. Depth of field, maybe. Maybe I'm just seein things.

    Lovely as always, glad to see how often you are getting out!

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  2. Went on my first event of the week, a guided hike through Hunter island in the Bronx. Never even heard of half the stuff we saw.

    Some corrections: It's Packera aurea. I found some available at the BBG Plant Sale on Tuesday! The plant labelled Sensitive Fern is Osmunda regalis, Royal Fern, with fertile leaflets at the end of the fronds. Sensitive Fern, Onoclea sensibilis, has separate fertile fronds.

    Gonna be a busy day at the Greenmarket tomorrow!

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  3. Thanks, Julie!

    Frank - not new, but for some weeks have been using V's old Rebel, with telephoto :-) as well as my little old Canon SD880.

    Xris - thank you! I'm embarrassed by the packera, I knew that - the perils of wee hours-posting. And the fern - at that unfurling stage I thought I'd nailed it...

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  4. Oh, to have your eye to see them everywhere. I keep looking macro, instead of micro!

    Love the Golden Club - never seen it before.

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  5. wonderful shots! This makes me want to take a hike, in a good way :)

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  6. Thanks for the pictures. I always need to review the names of the spring wildflowers every spring.
    I sep loved the picture of the Pinkster azelea.

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