It was relatively cool early one morning this week, so I took a walk down in the bottom pasture to see what kind of wildflowers were blooming.
The field is full of Meadow Rue and Joe Pye Weed. It makes a striking contrast of whites and rosy-pink, with a little green mixed in from the underlying leaves and stems.
There are also yellow flowers blooming. I’m not sure what they are, but they sure do shine in the shadows.
There are other splashes of yellow mixed in with the taller plants, with tall goldenrods here and there.
A lot of the bottom pasture is a little boggy, as spring water oozes out of the hillside. This makes a perfect environment for Cardinal Flowers (Lobelia cardinalis).
I love these plants, and so do the hummingbirds. It’s kind of hard to get a good picture though, as the camera doesn’t want to lock in on the red and the edges can be kind of blurred.
Around the outer edges of the pasture, there are patches of Jewel Weed (Impatiens capensis).
The juice from this plant is supposed to be a good rememdy for poison ivy, but I’ve never tried it.
A whole bunch of these yellow flowers grow on a bank near our pond.
In fact, I used them as a background for a picture of Ellie in her 2007 calendar.
There are also morning glories growing on a hillside near the pond.
Near the mailbox, there are some wild blue morning glories.
Of course the butterflies enjoy morning glories, and I usually see a few near them, like this Pearl Crescent Butterfly.
Then yesterday evening when The Farmer came home, he told me to come outside, because he saw a rainbow as he was driving home.
While I was outside with my camera, I took another picture of all the Meadow Rue and Joe Pye Weed in the bottom pasture, because the evening light gave it a different coloration.
I thought the colors were more vibrant and the white showed up better. You can also see some purple Ironweed (Vernonia altissima) in the lower lefthand corner.
It’s a lot of fun looking around the farm for wildflowers!
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi there again,
I do thoroughly enjoy your pictures of the Joe Pye Weed and the Meadow Rue. I only have one problem, I don’t know which is which. I just bought a place in a small village and I have many trees. I would like to put in a walking garden that people can walk thru or just sit and enjoy. I really like these flowers as they look so beautiful and peaceful. My other flowers I want to put in are delphinians, lillies, purple bark and holly hocks of various brands. I want to make it like a complete getaway from nowhere to no where. I know crazy but I just feel that one really cannot improve on nature and why not build on that. I am not a gardener so it would have to be perenials.
Thankyou for you time and patience
Marlene
The Joe Pye Weed is the rosy pink colored flowers, and the Meadow Rue has white flowers.
Your idea for the walking garden sounds like something I’ve thought of before, so no, I don’t think it’s crazy!
I think it’s a great idea, and would be a lovely addition to your property. The one bit of advice I’d say is to be sure to plant the right type of flowers for the environment. You know, like stuff that grows in shade shouldn’t be put in a sunny area, or a plant that likes wet feet in a dry area.
Good luck!
Such heavenly pictures! I’m so thrilled that you got such a great show this year. We’ve had years like that in the past and I can’t go anywhere without my camera. I find myself wandering around in pastures that don’t belong to me, in hopes of finding a wildflower I haven’t photographed before. Last Spring was a bust, but El Nino give me hopes for Spring 2010!
I’m glad you liked the pictures Ceecee! I’m hoping next spring we’ll see lots of butterflies since we’re getting so many wildflowers like they enjoy. We used to see a lot of them on the Joe Pye Weed.
To next spring, and both of us seeing lots and lots of lovely wildflowers!
i’ve used jewel weed as a poultice to soothe burns and stinging nettle. often the two plants will grow near each other.
which is a good thing for miss clumsy here.
I understand the clumsy part, ha, ha. I think I’m just an accident continually happening!
I’ve never tried jewel weed for burns. Usually break a piece off my aloe plant for that. And thankfully, haven’t needed it for poison ivy either. Hope you don’t need to use it too much!!!! =:-O