Summer Heat

Forget-me-not

Virginia Creeper

Swamp Rose

Hoary Mountain Mint

Yarrow

Summer's heat has come with a vengeance here at Bays Mountain. This is the second day in a row with teperatures over 100 degrees F(Bays Mountain Park's Weather). In spite of the heat, there are a few flowers in bloom right now.

Forget-me-nots grow in the damp grassy areas near the edge of the lake, particularly at the east end of the dam. The plants are low and the flowers small, so you have to look pretty hard to find them.

The Virginia Creeper growing on the lower side of the Nature Center is in full bloom. The flowers are very inconspicuous to us humans, but lots of small insects are drawn in to pollinate them. This plant is sometimes confused with Poison Ivy or Poison Oak. Poison Ivy and Oak have 3 leaflets per compound leaf, whereas Virginia Creeper has 5 leaflets.

Swamp Rose is a native species that grows in the wet margins of the lake and beaver ponds. The single flowers lend a pretty shade of pink to the scenery.

Hoary Mountain Mint is a striking sight in the summer woods. It tends to grow in dry soils in forest openings and along trails and roads in the park. The plant looks like someone spray-painted the upper leaves white. The leaves are very fragrant.

Yarrow is an exotic weed that has become well established throughout the area. White flowers are the most common in the wild, but garden varieties can have many other colors.

Sourwood and Buttonbush

Sourwood

Sourwood Closeup

Buttonbush and Black Swallowtail Butterfly



There are a couple of interesting flowers in bloom right now. Actually, more than a couple, but these are the ones I got pictures of so far.

The sourwood trees have just started blooming in the last week or so. They are the second most common tree in the park (red maple is most common). The flowers are very attractive to many insects, including honeybees. This is the nectar source for sourwood honey. Sourwood usually blooms for 3-4 weeks in late June and early July. Very often, the leaves of this small tree will start turning red during the blooming season, so they give us a preview of the fall colors coming soon.

Buttonbush is a small shrub that grows "feet-wet" around the lake here at Bays Mountain. The most accessible specimen is located at the west end of the dam. The globular flower clusters are always covered in insects of all sorts. This is a great time and place to get photos of some of the myriad pollinating insects as they visit the flowers. Butterflies and bumblebees are two of the more visible species, but there are many other bees, wasps, beetles, and flies that can be seen.

As a reminder, Bays Mountain Park will be closed, for the next 3 weeks, Monday through Friday. We will be open to the public on weekends and on Independence Day (July 4). This is so we can make much-needed repairs to the entrance road. The road work should be done well before Fun Fest (July 13-21).

Indian Pipes and Bergamot

I made it out for a walk around Lakeside Trail on 5/31/2012. I found several flowers in bloom. Indian Pipes is an interesting plant that is a parasite on fungi associated with tree roots. It has no chlorophyll, so the flower stem is usually white or pale pink.

Hairy Skullcap is a member of the Mint family. I don't know if this plant has an odor, but many mints do.

The Water Shield is the more common of the two current species of water lily in the lake. While the flowers are very small, they are very attractive up close. They are also very attractive to honeybees.

Bullhead Lilies have most leaves raised out of the water and bright yellow flower. These flowers never open very wide.

Indian Pipes

Hairy Skullcap

Water Shield

Bullhead Lily

5/31/2012: Summer Bluet, Bullhead Lily, Indian Pipe, Hawkweed, Fly-poison, Galax, Water Shield, Bergamot

Hearsay Update

I haven't had a chance to get out looking for flowers in the last couple of weeks, but I have heard from a few folks that have. The fly-poison, a white spike of flowers, is now in bloom. Also, water-shield, the smaller and more common of the water lilies in the lake, is in bloom. Those tiny red flowers are very attractive to honeybees. Now that most of the local schools are out, I may have a chance to get out and look for some more orchids that bloom this time of year.

In Between Seasons

It is getting to that in-between time when most of the spring wildflowers are gone and the summer wildflowers are just starting. Many summer flowers grow mostly in open areas around the lake, along the roads and trails, and in the food plots. This is also the busiest time of year for school trips to the park, which doesn't leave much time for flower hunting.

5/14/2012 Bullhead Lily, Mountain Laurel, Yellow Flag Iris, Balsam ragwort, Galax, Summer Bluets

5/15/2012 Lily-leaved Twayblade

I looked for Loesel's Twayblade yesterday, but haven't found it yet.

Flame Azalea and Pink Lady's Slipper

I went for a little walk on my day off and came out with some pretty cool flower sightings. Flame Azalea is one of those shrubs that stands out in the woods when it is in bloom. I always enjoy seeing that bright orange color against the green of the late spring woods.

Pink Lady's Slipper is one of those iconic wildflowers that almost everyone recognizes and appreciates. They are one the more common of our native orchids in the park, but the blooms are a little hard to find sometimes. I seem to miss them because of timing or location many years. One of the old locations has dwindled to just a few plants that haven't bloomed in several years. Very often, I just don't have time to get out this time of year.

Mountain Laurel is another beautiful late-spring-blooming shrub. The flowers vary from almost white to a very bright pink. The unopened flower buds have a very interesting shape, as well.

Flame Azalea

Pink Lady's Slipper

Mountain Laurel

May 5, 2012: Pink Lady's Slipper, Mountain Laurel, Flame Azalea, Bullhead Lily, Summer Bluet, Bluet, Firepink, Hawkweed, Vaccinium sp. (Blueberry relative), Wild Geranium, Lyre-leaved Sage, Yellow Stargrass, Balsam Ragwort, Southern Ragwort, Maple-leaf Viburnum, Oxeye Daisy, Hearts-a-Bustin', Galax, Bristly Locust, Wild Comfrey, False Solomon's Seal, Fleabane, Lily-leaved Twayblade

Lily-leaved Twayblade

I haven't had the chance to get out much the past couple of weeks, but I did have an interesting find this afternoon. Lily-leaved Twayblade is a small orchid that seems to grow best in damp open areas of the park. I used to see a lot of it around the food plot on Fern Trail and near the lakeshore behind the Nature Center. Today it was blooming beside Lake Road near the Raptor Center. The flower is another of those weird, buggy-looking flowers found on some orchids.

There is a blooming multiflora rose beside the sidewalk in front of the Nature Center. It is an exotic weed, but it has the best-smelling flowers of any plant in the park. They have that typical "rose" smell, especially early in the morning.

Last week (4-24-2012), I found some Little Brown Jugs in bloom. This is a type wild ginger (Asarum sp.) that is fairly common in the park. There is another species with the common name of Heart-Leaf that we see somewhat less commonly. They are both a special treat, though, because the tiny flowers are hidden beneath mounds of green leaves. The flowers are pollinated by insects that crawl through the leaf litter on the forest floor.

I have not had the chance to check on the Pink Lady's Slippers lately. I have seen some plants coming up, but no flower buds on the ones I saw. They should be in bloom soon, if not now. It is just a matter of finding them. Last year, there was a nice clump of them beside Bays Ridge Road, most of the way to the top of the ridge above Ledbetter Gap. I may try to check on them Sunday or Monday.

Lily-leaved Twayblade

Multiflora Rose

Little Brown Jug (Plant)

Little Brown Jug (Flowers)