June - Prairie Wildflowers at Loblolly Marsh Nature Preserve
June 24th-Loblolly Marsh Nature Preserve Photos and Prose by Melissa Fey Welcome Summer! This week the Summer Solstice came in and the weather has been pretty typical for summer with sunshine and warm temps. A trip to the prairie was in order. You do not need to venture far from the parking lot to see the summer color. These flowers were seen at the edge of the parking lot. Rough -fruited Cinquefoil ( Potentilla recta) A member of the Rose Family The individual petals look like little hearts Smooth Ruellia - Wild Petunia ( Ruellia strepens) There are more plants across the road from the parking lot along the trail that are growing, but not flowering yet. Prairie Dock ( Silphium terebinthinaceum) This is an individual plant, but both sides of the east trail are covered with the plants. Common Milkweed ( Asclepias syriaca) Wild Bergamot ( Monarda fistulosa) Member of the Mint Family This plant has beautiful purple flowers that will start to bloom in August. The domestic vers