Tag: WIld Flower

Shrubby St. John's Wort

Hypericum prolificum, or Shrubby St. John's Wort, is a visually captivating shrub with its bright yellow flowers.

I photographed the flowers of Shrubby St. John's Wort (Hypericum prolificum) during a tour of the large meadow at Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve in New Hope, Pennsylvania.

St. John's Wort is a perennial shrub indigenous to the central and eastern regions of the United States and Ontario. Its habitat is diverse - slopes, thickets, swamp edges, and oak woodlands. Our tour guide explained that St. John's Wort is a shrub that can reach heights up to 2 meters (6 feet 7 inches). Its leaves are elliptic to oblanceolate, and the flowerheads display a captivating array of 1 to 9 flowers. These flowers have five golden yellow petals and numerous stamens.

I learned that in its naturally mounded form, Shrubby St. John's Wort leaves can be easily pruned into a pleasing, rounded shape in early spring. This shrub comes alive throughout the summer with yellow flowers, attracting many pollinators. Its brown, 3-chambered seed capsules persist even in winter, providing food for winter birds and adding late-season visual interest.

Shrubby St. John's Wort's growth rate is slow but blooms from June through September. It loves full sun and can flourish in nearly any soil, including the heavy clay in my area near Rocky Hill. Remarkably drought-tolerant, it also has the advantage of being resistant to rabbits and deer. I need to find a way to plant this in my small garden.

Shrubby St. John's Wort plays a crucial role as a larval host plant for several species of butterflies and moths, including the Gray Hairstreak butterfly and the Wavy-lined Emerald moth.

Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

This native plant attracts pollinators and thrives in sunny, well-drained gardens, making it an excellent addition to any backyard.

I photographed Purple Beebalm during a July visit to Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve in New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Purple Beebalm, or Wild Bergamot, is a native New Jersey and Pennsylvania plant valued for its purple-pink flowers that attract pollinators like bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. Our meadow tour guide mentioned that anyone can grow it in their garden. Gardeners must ensure the plant gets enough sunlight and is planted in well-drained soil.

It's a low-maintenance plant and can be propagated through seeds or divisions. He mentioned that the plant is aggressively self-sowing, so he recommends planting in a small patch of dirt in the backyard to prevent uncontrolled spreading. I planted some in the backyard this summer. Not only will it look great, but it will also make my garden a buzzing haven for pollinators!

No Trout in the Lilly

Trout lilies are one of the first wildflowers to bloom in the spring, usually around March or April.

In the past, I have had good luck finding wildflowers at Zion Crossing Park. Trout lilies are one of the first wildflowers to bloom in the spring, usually around March or April. However, I saw no trout lily plants at Zion Crossing Park two weeks before this visit. While walking on the trail toward the Zion-Wertsville Road Bridge, I found spring beauty and very early signs of trout lily. I missed seeing the blooms this year.

Trout lily (Erythronium americanum) is a wildflower native to eastern North America. It gets its name from the mottled leaves, which some people think resemble a trout's skin colouring. When the plant blooms, the yellow flowers are delicate and dainty, with six petals arranged in a star shape. I usually find the plant carpeting the forest floor with bright blooms.

Trout lily (Erythronium americanum)
Trout lily (Erythronium americanum) · Monday 1 May 2023 · FujiFilm X-T3 · XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR

I would get down on my knees to get a close-up, using a macro extension tube with one of my lenses trying to fill the frame. Often, my clothes would get dirty from mud, and sometimes, I hurt myself by banging my knee against a rock. It could have been better. Once, I tried so hard to balance my body on my feet while cropped over, trying to get the flower in focus, I strained the muscles on the bottom of my feet. It took weeks to heal.

Using the XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR, I can stay far from the flowers and still fill the frame.

Trout lily (Erythronium americanum)
Trout lily (Erythronium americanum) · Monday 1 May 2023 · FujiFilm X-T3 · XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR

In the spring, Trout lilies are one of the earliest nectar sources for pollinators such as bees and butterflies. Trout lilies reproduce by growing new plants from underground bulbs produced by the parent plant. Over time, this can lead to large colonies of trout lilies covering the woodland floor.

One of my entries for Lens-Artists.