Joe's Run Wildflowers

67 this morning, a bit cloudy but nice. Very heavy dew. Thunderstorms expected tonight. The vegetable gardens and herb garden are still too wet to work in. I cut back the iris and loaded clippings into a wheelbarrow and was covered in sweat, and this was before 10am. Very humid!

I rarely take photos of wildflowers in summer, for some reason. So when I was out on Sunday, by myself for a change, I took the opportunity to take a few along our road. Many of these I have not identified.

I think this is a type of primrose, but wasn't able to ID it for sure. It grows quite tall, with clusters of yellow flowers at the top.

Black-eyed Susans seem to be having a great year this year. The State Roads people mowed our roadsides earlier than usual, so some plants, like the Canada lily, probably got cut down, while others benefited.

I think this is a type of sunflower, possibly Endelmann's?

Hard to see, but crown vetch grows pretty much everywhere along the road. It is a useful plant, with its nitrogen- setting property, and roots that can go up to 40 feet deep, which is great for holding soil in place.

Great Mullein is another common plant here, so stately! It is getting a lot of attention from herbalists these days, for its medicinal properties. 

Beautiful blue chicory grows in abundance along roadsides, most often with Queen Anne's lace. Makes for a gorgeous combination.

A tiny bit of orange butterfly weed pokes its head under the rail along a small bridge. There is usually a lot of this flower on our road, but perhaps the mowing hurt it this year.

Milkweed dances in the sun. We have quite a bit of it, fortunately since butterflies like it so well.

Queen Anne's lace and chicory, a happy coupling.

More Mullein.

Elderberries are beginning to ripen. Usually they are ready by the first week of August. We have not been able to gather any for several years, as the birds get to them first.

At the end of the road, a squash or pumpkin plant has made itself at home under the damaged guardrail.

Coming home I took a few shots on the right fork of our road. The road splits at the bridge, where the left and right forks of Joe's Run come together. Both forks lead up to our ridge; we live on the section if ridge road between them 

This is Black Cohosh, another plant prized by herbalists. I would love to have some of this in my gardens.

The roadbank along a shady stretch is covered in maidenhair and Lady ferns, just beautiful. 

Bee balm, or bergamot, in a lovely shade of lavender.

And wild sweetpea,  which looks like the plant my cousin John in England calls restharrow. 

Queen Anne's lace again, just too pretty against the tree not to photograph, mixed with a few remaining daisies.

And here we are, home again!

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