Wildflower Wednesday

I've been posting lots of photos from our yard, and the last post covered the area where I have the most wildflowers/natives planted, but many of the photos were from a distance.  I decided to go around and take close ups of some of the wildflowers that are blooming for Gail's Wildflower Wednesday.

Wild Quinine:

I've noticed that I see lots of pollinators on white blooms.

Narrow leaf coneflower, I 'm pretty sure:

Gray headed coneflowers:

The wild senna blooms are just starting to open today, for the first time in our yard.  I am thrilled!

Gooseneck loosestrife (in a tub to prevent its spreading)

Beautyberry bush:

Ratibida columnifera has a number of common names, including upright prairie coneflower, and Mexican hat.  I've grown these in pots before, thinking they were annuals.  I think I'll let them go to seed, hoping to get more than the three plants I have.

Gentian:

Whorled milkweed:

Rattlesnake master:

Short toothed mountain mint:

I decided not to cut back the baptisia after it bloomed, so it has seed pods.

When we first moved here, 13 years ago, I wanted to plant flowers in the area where the dirt was after our egress window was installed, but Larry wanted to plant grass.  When we went to a local nursery, he said if I planted these, false sunflowers, he would agree not to plant grass.  Little did he know how much actual grass he was going to end up giving up for flowers.  These are probably offspring of the originals, which are not in the original spot because they did not like where they were, and wilted almost every day.

Virginia mountain mint:

This mountain mint is in the flower bed in the east front yard.  I don't remember if I planted it.  The leaves and flowers are larger than the Virginia mountain mint, and smaller than the short toothed kind.

I'm not sure which kind of ironweed this is, but I found out the monarchs like it.  I found another kind and planted several of those the other day.

Black-eyed Susans:

Gail, thanks for hosting Wildflower Wednesday, and for the information you provide on pollinators.  I am still sad after a local news anchor had a bee keeper who is also an entomologist  come to spray the wasp nest under his deck a few days ago.  I looked in shock as they showed some wasps writhing and dying.  I buy my honey from this guy!  You know, there are not many fields of study where you are drawn in because of something you are interested in, then you are taught how to get rid of it, as in killing insects.  I know there may be situations where people may be in danger, but we are too quick to kill things.  We live two blocks from that TV station, and I want to invite the news guy to come see my flowers, and how close I get to the wasps and bees without being stung.

I get so tired of the garden centers getting to come on the radio, and even the local garden TV show, and promote their products that kill both plants and critters.  Today, even the regular announcers were talking like a person can't have a pot of geraniums on their porch without using chemicals to get rid of the little green worms that get on them.  OK, I better stop with my rant.  I do have to admit that I flushed a dozen or so ticks down the toilet that hitched a ride on our grandson and me after we visited a wetland area, and I do squish individual bugs that are eating on my vegetables, so I'm not totally innocent, but the only chemicals I use are the occasional Liquid Fence, in an effort to keep the rabbits away.

The temperature is supposed to get up to 101 tomorrow.  Whew!  I have been gardening from 6 to 7 a.m. before going to work at summer school.  I hope you are getting to spend time out in your gardens.