Last Bloom

I was walking along the creek when I found what is probably the last of this season’s blooming flowers at Blue Jay Barrens. It was surprising to find flowers this fresh after all of the frosts, freezes and cold weather we’ve had the past few weeks. Some of the blooms are still developing. This is certainly something I wasn’t expecting to see.

This section of creek is entrenched by several feet, so it’s possible that a microclimate exists that kept the plant from getting a cold weather death blow. This is the only plant along the entire length of the creek that managed to survive.

There’s not much insect life left to pollinate these flowers. Although the weather was sunny with temperatures just shy of 50 degrees, I didn’t see any active flying insects. Even when the night time temperatures were in the 50’s a few days ago, the only possible pollinator attracted to my black light was a large moth.

The bloomer is a Crooked-stem Aster, Aster prenanthoides. The slightly zigzagged stem is evident and the dried leaves still show the winged petioles.

Not only is the plant blooming, it’s producing new shoots at the base of leaves. This is quite a persistent plant. It’ll be interesting to see how long it survives before winter brings it to an end.

Aster Season

The transition into autumn is traditionally associated with the ripening of seeds and fruits. There is one group of flowers, however that is just coming into its peak flowering period. Asters like this New England Aster, Aster novae-angliae, seem to ignore the threat of frost soon to come and choose to produce their blooms during the last warm days of the season.

With its violet and yellow blooms, this is probably the most noticeable of the asters. For some reason, it’s not very abundant at Blue Jay Barrens. New England Aster commonly inhabits abandoned cropfield habitat and I really expected to see more of it in my fields.

The Blue Jay Barrens population of New England Aster is found as single individual plants scattered around the more established prairies. These are healthy plants, but do not form the big bushy growth associated with deep soil fields.

Asters occur in every habitat available here, from the driest ridge tops to the wettest low ground. This is the Crooked Stem Aster, Aster prenanthoides, a species that grows along the creek bank. The majority of the Blue Jay Barrens specimens are a very pale lavender.

I really love the leaves on this plant. The flare of those sharply pointed teeth and the wide wings on the petiole make for a very showy display. I’d love to grow little specimens like this in a flower garden, but with even minimal care this species can grow to be several feet high.

The name comes from the fact that the stem bends slightly at each leaf node. Many of the fall asters have yet to open their flowers. I’ll see if I can post a roll call of Blue Jay Barrens asters during the peak bloom season.
Note: I just want to acknowledge that I’m aware that these plants are now assigned to the genus Symphyotrichum. I’m still using Gleason and Cronquist 1991 as my reference for scientific plant names and probably will never change.

Creek Bed Plants

Each year, there are certain plants that I find growing in the dry creek bed. Some of these plants are annuals which would normally grow in disturbed areas with exposed ground. Others are perennials that would have to cope with a shifting creek bed and inundation for part of the year. It seems a precarious place to be living. This Great Lobelia, Lobelia siphilitica, is one that commonly grows in the stream corridor.

This specimen is growing right in the middle of the stream. The plants growing in the rocky stream bed are shorter than those that develop at the edge of the bank.

Beggar Ticks, Bidens frondosa, is an annual that is common in wet disturbed areas. The barbed spears of the seed will develop to stick out of this flower head. Many people mistakenly believe the rays have been eaten from the flower, but this is the flower in full bloom.

Virginia Bugleweed, Lycopus virginicus, is a lovely plant. The tiny flowers can be seen at the base of the leaves. I’ve never seen this plant anywhere other than the creek bed.

Aster prenanthoides, Crooked Stemmed Aster, is normally described as having blue or violet flowers. All Blue Jay Barrens specimens have white flowers, sometimes with a hint of violet.

The leaves have wide wings on the petioles and flare out to enclose the stem. The stem makes a little bend at each leaf junction.

Clearweed, Pilea pumila, always looks bright and shiny. You normally find this plant growing in areas of smaller stones and sand.

The flowers grow from the leaf axils. This plant, like most of those growing in the creek, flowers in the fall. I suppose plants growing here must not begin growth until the water flow slows in the late spring, so late development would not be uncommon.