I knew I missed the last Wildflower Wednesday, hosted by Gail at Clay and Limestone, but didn't remember October was my last post. Since it is snowing today, I took some photos out the door, and made a decision to highlight a plant I don't think I have before.
I like the colors of the garden better in other seasons, but enjoy them this time of year as well. The cup plant still has some seeds for the birds.
The plant I am featuring is the tallest in this photo.
I am thinking this was the second or third season for the Pale Indian Plantain, which I was pleased to get from a friend at a plant/seed share for the Facebook group, Gardening with Nature in Mind. I don't remember if it bloomed last year, but did read that they take a couple seasons to grow large enough to bloom. When I went to get a link for information at the Lady Bird Johnson site, I saw that it prefers a moist site. This site is not particularly moist, but is not dry, either. The seed heads on the round headed bush clover are looking good.
I did a search to see if birds eat the pale Indian plantain seeds. I found an article that mentioned the seeds can pass through birds and mammals and remain viable to grow. I am not sharing the link, because the article was about using the plants for medicinal uses.
Two of my photos did not load, so I am not positive if my dates are going to be correct for the photos of the pale Indian plantain from last season.
Heather Holm mentioned in this post that the stems make good nesting material for many native bees and wasps. When it is time to clean up the garden this spring, I will leave about 10 inches of stems in the ground, and may make bundles of stems. The pale Indian plantain is the light stemmed plant near the seat of the bicycle and to the left of the Amsonia hubrichtti. This photo is from May.
This photo is from June. I see a penstemon of some kind blooming here.
Here is some interesting information I found at the Missouri Department of Conservation:
"Pale Indian plantain is not in the plantain family, it is in the daisy or sunflower family. The word “Indian” in the common names of plants often essentially means “false,” designating a North American plant that somehow resembles an unrelated plant European settlers knew from the Old World. Exceptions are the names “Indian paintbrush” and “Indian pipe,” in which the plants were named for fancifully resembling objects used by Native Americans."
This photo is from July.
It continued to bloom in August, drawing bees, wasps, and butterflies.
I believe this is from August.
I think the September photo is one that did not load. This is either October or November. The plant looks great in all seasons!
Our schools are closed today due to the snow. They say parts of our city could get more than others. We are not getting a lot here yet, but that could change. I hope all is well with you and your gardens.
I like the colors of the garden better in other seasons, but enjoy them this time of year as well. The cup plant still has some seeds for the birds.
The plant I am featuring is the tallest in this photo.
I am thinking this was the second or third season for the Pale Indian Plantain, which I was pleased to get from a friend at a plant/seed share for the Facebook group, Gardening with Nature in Mind. I don't remember if it bloomed last year, but did read that they take a couple seasons to grow large enough to bloom. When I went to get a link for information at the Lady Bird Johnson site, I saw that it prefers a moist site. This site is not particularly moist, but is not dry, either. The seed heads on the round headed bush clover are looking good.
I did a search to see if birds eat the pale Indian plantain seeds. I found an article that mentioned the seeds can pass through birds and mammals and remain viable to grow. I am not sharing the link, because the article was about using the plants for medicinal uses.
Two of my photos did not load, so I am not positive if my dates are going to be correct for the photos of the pale Indian plantain from last season.
Heather Holm mentioned in this post that the stems make good nesting material for many native bees and wasps. When it is time to clean up the garden this spring, I will leave about 10 inches of stems in the ground, and may make bundles of stems. The pale Indian plantain is the light stemmed plant near the seat of the bicycle and to the left of the Amsonia hubrichtti. This photo is from May.
This photo is from June. I see a penstemon of some kind blooming here.
Here is some interesting information I found at the Missouri Department of Conservation:
"Pale Indian plantain is not in the plantain family, it is in the daisy or sunflower family. The word “Indian” in the common names of plants often essentially means “false,” designating a North American plant that somehow resembles an unrelated plant European settlers knew from the Old World. Exceptions are the names “Indian paintbrush” and “Indian pipe,” in which the plants were named for fancifully resembling objects used by Native Americans."
This photo is from July.
It continued to bloom in August, drawing bees, wasps, and butterflies.
I believe this is from August.
I think the September photo is one that did not load. This is either October or November. The plant looks great in all seasons!
Our schools are closed today due to the snow. They say parts of our city could get more than others. We are not getting a lot here yet, but that could change. I hope all is well with you and your gardens.