ABC Meme - W for Wildflowers & Wildflower Wednesday!

Wildflower Wednesday
initiated by Gail at Clay and Limestone!
Click her link above to visit -
Her meme works well with ABC Wednesday's "W" week!

and

ABC Wednesday Challenge is in its 8th round. Wouldn't you like to see what other people are posting (besides me!)?? Click on the logo above.

Wildflowers, as designated here, would be those you'd find on a prairie.

So, with that in mind, we'll see what I found in Mr. Shady's prairie !
Most photos will enlarge with a "Click!"

Okay! I'm sorry. I'm going to apologize ahead of time... In order to try to make my photos larger, I "stretched" them while creating the post. This process has changed their visual acuity. I'm sorry... I won't do it again! :-(

Common Milkweed (center)
surrounded by Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea
and tall Gray-headed Coneflower Ratibida pinnata
(sunflower family)behind.

Gray-headed Coneflower begins to blossom.

These photos have been taken at various times over the past three years, using either of two digital cameras.

Predominately Purple Coneflower Echinacia purpurea

Oh! Look out for the Wild Parsnip Pastinaca sativa! Tall plants with yellow "dill like" flowers.
They are nasty! Touch one when it's blooming and you may wish you hadn't!!! Non-native.

Purple Coneflower with white Daisy Fleabane

Poor quality photo, but I think this is
Common St. John's-Wort Hypericum perforatum
-- does it also look as though there's some
Yellow Sweet Clover Melilotus officinalis?

Butterfly Milkweed Asclepias tuberose with Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta (sunflower family) and Daisy Fleabane Erigerone strigosus (small white flowers with yellow centers)

Great Spangled Fritillary (butterfly) on a Pale Purple Coneflower
(a sad specimen) Echinacea pallida (Aster family)!

Wild Bergamot Monarda fistulosa
(mint family) also called horsemint or bee balm

Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta with
(white) Daisy Fleabane Erigeron strigosus (Aster family)

Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca

Deptford Pink Dianthus armeria (Pink family)

Queen Anne's Lace Daucus carota (parsley family)
also called Wild carrot.
This was introduced from Europe and is often considered a weed.
A close-up of an unusually colorful one!

Snagged again!!! (One way to broadcast seed!)

Showy Partridge Pea Chamaecrista fasciculata;
also Cassia chamaecrista

Great Spangled Fritillary (butterfly) on Thistle

Yes, it's a thistle... but isn't it pretty?
Pasture Thistle Cirsium discolor (Aster family)

Do you think this is Maximilian Sunflower?
Helianthus maximiliani

Black Swallowtail approaching Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea (Aster family)

Tall Cinquefoil Potentilla arguta (Rose family)


Great Spangled Fritillary - looks like it's making the rounds!

Monarch enters the competition

Would you argue with this fellow?

Me, neither!

Don't know how the Wild Rose sneaked into the prairie.
This photo was taken July 5, 2009. Wonder if they're still there?

Wild Prairie Rose
Rosa pratincola

The Iowa Legislature designated the Wild Rose as the official state flower in 1897. It was chosen for the honor because it was one of the decorations used on the silver service which the state presented to the battleship USS Iowa that same year. Although no particular species of the flower was designated by the Legislature, the Wild Prairie Rose (Rosa Pratincola) is most often cited as the official flower. Wild roses are found throughout the state and bloom from June through late summer. The flower, in varying shades of pink, is set off by many yellow stamens in the center. (Information taken from this site.)

Prairie Smoke - Geum triflorum
(two photos below)
This is in front of our house.
It was a gift from my Aunt MEA, gardener extraordinaire! :-)

Her original plant was dug from a prairie area alongside the road, quite a number of years ago!

That's All Folks!
Not a bit of shade here, today! ;-)