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