Where Have all the Flowers Gone?

They are here!  On my blog!

OK – I realize this is becoming a bit of an obsession – but here are the shots of the latest flowers we have found during our adventures.  First a brief view of some NON wild varieties.   The tulips here are amazing – I have always liked tulips (OK, I’ve never really met a flower I didn’t like) but there are much more of them here and they are HUGE – this red one is shown next to Callie’s hand and the size is typical.  The yellow flowers in the middle shot are on some kind of bush that people plant in their yards around here – much nicer, in my opinion, than forsythia, but I have no idea what it is called.  The final bunch of flowers is what has popped up from our bulb planting activities from last fall.  I love the dark dark purple tulips – Zander planted some melon and pea seeds in a small plot this week – we will see what pops up!     

Now, on to the main event – the new and exciting wildflowers from the past two weeks!

These are from the meadows near our house or hiking around. The first is the evolution of Callie’s flower – I think it is either Self Heal or Bugle. The second is Great Stitchwort.  The bunch in front of Zander is fuzzy – but the ones to the right are Ribwort Plantain – I will try to get a better picture another day.  The purple flower reminds me of Red Clover – but it isn’t Red Clover (at least not what I think of).  Can’t find anything resembling it online.

     

These were found on roadsides or the edges of the woods. I think the first is called Bitter Vetch and I’m  pretty positive the second is White Dead Nettle,  The third might be Geranium Sanguine – but I’m not sure, could it be Birdseye Primrose or Red Campion?  I can’t find anything like the fourth.  Hmm… this is hard!

     

These were in the woods.  The second is just like Green Hellobore – but the flowers are yellow – but I can’t find Yellow Hellobore online so ????  (Maybe it is Lady’s Mantle)  The third is called Herb Paris and is supposedly a rare find (go me!). The last two shots are of the same plant – I show the kids next to it so you can see the size of the thing – it is obviously a dried relic of the previous fall – pretty sure a Burdock – beautiful even without flowers.

  

 

Then there are these beauties – they were found near the edge of the woods as well .  Besides being purple (the best color) and delicately beautiful they were being industriously pollinated by a bee. I have no idea what they are – I thought they were wild orchids but it turns out wild orchids look nothing like this plant.  I can’t find anything like them online – they resemble the White Dead Nettle – are they Purple Dead Nettle?  We sat and watched him work for several minutes.  It was amazing how methodically he worked, poking his head into each and every flower on the stem – one was loose for some reason and the bee tumbled right off the flower, only to return to the next one on that stem!  Andre got a few amazing shots – I had to include all three of my favorites.    I hope you can see how the bees here are much oranger than those in the US – they also seem fuzzier to me – and the bumblebees also have different coloration here than back home.