A lot of the late spring - early summer wildflowers are starting to fade (
oxeye daisies, milkweed), but there are several more that should be in full bloom within the next month. :)
Here's a sampling of what's blooming now in my gardens and along the roadside...
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Echinacea purpurea 'Purple Coneflower' |
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Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam'
Not a native Coreopsis, but still a wonderful flower! |
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Larkspur? Not sure of the type or even if it's the right ID. This is one of the plants I picked up at the Master Gardener
plant exchange and I've lost the tag and forgot what it was! |
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Asclepias tuberosa 'Butterfly Weed, Milkweed'
From my garden, but it's also growing wild along the roadsides and fields. The sad thing is that within the next month (about the time the Monarchs are at their peak), most of the fields will be mowed down or brush hogged. I've grown milkweed for the past ten years and last year (for the first time), I didn't have a single Monarch caterpillar. It saddens me that their numbers have declined so much... |
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Datura inoxia 'Angels Trumpet'
Native to Mexico and Central America. Not really a perennial in my gardens, but it reseeds easily. This plant is a member of the nightshade family and all parts are extremely toxic. Interesting though, my free range chickens seem to have some sort of innate ability to discern what is tasty and what could be poisonous. This plant is also a host to the tobacco hornworm moth. |
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Verbascum thapsus 'Common Mullien'
Common throughout Missouri, but originally one of the first plants introduced from Europe. Actually I thought this was a native Missouri wildflower for years and transplanted it from a field into my garden! |
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Aristolochia tomentosa 'Dutchman's Pipe'
Vine native to Missouri, host plant to the Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly. |
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Asclepias syriaca 'Common Milkweed'
Along the fence line down the road from my property. Host plant of the Monarch buterfly. |
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Campsis radicans 'Trumpet Vine, Trumpetcreeper'
Native to Missouri. The blooms are a favorite of hummingbirds and it's also thicket forming (which also attracts birds as a shelter - protection), This grows wild along my fence line and last season I transplanted some of this vine to a container/trellis outside my bedroom window. It's growing wild and crazy, but I don't think it will bloom until next year. Hopefully I'll get to enjoy watching the hummingbirds eat from a natural food source. |
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Packera aurea 'Golden Ragwort, Squaw weed)
Native to Missouri. Growing along the fence line... |
May Dreams Gardens
clay and limestone