Wildflowers of the Prairie at the Loblolly Marsh Nature Preserve - Words and Photos by Melissa Fey
It really dosen't get much prettier than this! The Wildflowers of the Prairie are the most plentiful and beautiful this time of year. They are definitely coming in to their own right now.
I used to think that Wildflowers were just those delicate little flowers that bloomed in the woods, short lived in the Spring time. However, over the years I have come to realize that Wildflowers can be any native flower that has not been cultivated. Now many of us have native flowers in our gardens and yards, but they have not been altered by human tampering. There are many similar types of Wildflowers that can be found in garden stores. Coneflower, Bee Balm, Hibiscus and others are available in beautiful colors that would not be considered to be "native". But, Wildflowers can grow in the woods in the Spring, woods and prairie in the Summer and even the Fall. Many Wildflowers grow proficiently in the side ditches along country roads. All of them are beautiful.
One thing that makes Wildflowers in the Prairie grow so well and survive in drought is their long root system. The Roots of established Prairie Wildflowers can be two to three times longer than the plant itself.
When you leave the parking lot at the Loblolly Marsh NP and head east on the prairie trail right now you will be inundated by two things, the smell and the sounds surrounding the Wild Bergamot - Monarda media, also known as Bee Balm. True to its name, the Bergamot draws bees by the hundreds to its wonderful scent. A member of the Mint Family, it is the predominant blooming flower right now.
The other plant dominating this part of the trail is the Prairie Dock - Silphium terebinthinaceum. The plant starts out in the Spring growing these huge leaves, sometimes two feet tall. It then shoots up a huge stem that towers over everything at 6-8 foot tall. The flowers form at the tip-top of the stem. Right now the flowers are just starting to bloom, however in a couple of weeks this area will be full of blooms with Sparrows and Gold Finches feasting on them.
When I first started walking the trails at the Loblolly Marsh NP the Prairie Dock was primarily just at the beginning of the trail. Over the years it has spread farther and farther down the trail and has even established a presence on the west side of the trail next to the parking lot. The distinctive large leaves and tall stems are easy to spot.
The Gray-Headed Coneflower - Ratibida pinnata may share its name with the Purple Coneflower, but it is not an Echinacea and therefore not related. This beautiful tall yellow flower is predominate in all parts of the Prairie right now. The petals are long and droop away from the flower head, making it very recognizable.
 |
| Gray-Headed Coneflower - Ratibida pinnata |
 |
| Purple Coneflower - Echinacea purpurea |
As I walk the trail it feels to me like I am visiting old friends. The Wildflowers normally bloom in the same spot every year, so I know where to look for them. True to form, I find the Prairie Blazing-Star - Liatris pycnostachya close to where it bloomed last year. It is a member of the Daisy family, although you couldn't tell it from the blooms. It is one of my favorites and continues to grace that prairie with its tall dark pink blooms.
Birds and Bees line the trail as they feast on the Summer harvest provided by the Wildflowers. They can be elusive and hard to catch, but with a quick shutter and long lens I was able to capture a few images.
 |
| Bee on Prairie Dock |
 |
| Song Sparrows |
Song Sparrow perched Prairie Dock
I know that some people do not think much of Sparrows, but I have learned to appreciate them. The Song Sparrow has a beautiful distinctive Song as does the Field Sparrow. So how do you know what the names of the birds you are hearing are? Birds can be very elusive to see and even harder to get a picture of. The Merlin App is a huge help. Once you download the app, all you have to do is start a new recording and it identifies the birds it hears. (Sometimes it picks up the faint sound of a bird that I didn't hear) What is really nice, as the bird sings it highlights the name so you can soon learn to identify the birds themselves by their song. The App also has a huge inventory of birds that you can ID with photos and descriptions.
 |
| Merlin App Icon |
 |
| Choose Sound ID and then New Recording |
 |
| Birds that it identified while it recorded |
The Queen Anne's Lace or Wild Carrot - Daucus carota is a plant that most everybody can identify. Its beautiful lacey blooms and leaves are a nice addition to the prairie.
The delicate Culver's Root - Veronicastrum virginicum is surprisingly a member of the Snapdragon family. It is not very prevalent in the prairie, but easy to spot with it's tall slender white blooms.
The Big Bluestem - Andropogon gerardi is a tall grass that is just starting to grow. Right now it is barely two feet tall, but in the next month it will be growing tall to dominate this area.
After taking a short break on the bench on the east side of the trail, I walked back to the parking lot and proceeded west down Veronica's trail. Different Native plants were growing on this side.
At the edge of the parking lot was the Rattle Snake-Masters - Eryngium, it is surprisingly a member of the Parsley Family. It's unique appearance of spiny-edged, yucca-like leaves and round seed heads are easy to identify and hard to forget.
The prairie area just north of the parking lot is loaded with Mountain Mint-Pycnanthemum. Not sure which kind it is, but they are all a part of the Mint Family. Be sure to touch the stems to smell them.
At the bridge look for Blue Vervain - Verbena hastata. Member of the Vervain Family.
And the Swamp Milkweed - Asclepias incarnata, cousin to the Common Milkweed.
Past the bridge on the right is Wild Senna -
Cassia hebecarpa. A member of the Pea Family
Past the bench on the north side of the trail, you will see several Buckeye Trees. The nuts are starting to form on the tree. These are the first trees to bear leaves in the Spring and the first nuts to drop in the Fall. The tree was named because the nut (out of the husk) has the appearance of the eye of a deer (Buck).
The Prairie here is mostly grasses, predominately Big Bluestem. With Wildflowers growing along the edge of the trail.
At the top and end of Veronica's Trail I noticed movement to the south. A Hummingbird was gathering nectar from the Wild Bergamot. The sun was behind the trees, so the area did not have good light, but with my long lens I was able to capture a couple fuzzy photos. I felt pretty good considering how quickly hummingbirds move and flap their wings.
The entire time I was hiking large groups of birds flew over heading southwest. When I arrived on the hill I could hear them making lots of noise. There were even birds gathered in the trees to my right. Those birds took off and the sound their wings made was incredible. I would estimate there were hundreds, possibly a thousand birds, gathered in the marsh areas to the south of here. My Merlin App identified them mainly as European Starlings and Common Grackle, although there could have been some Song and Field Sparrows in the group too.
Walking back to my vehicle I was treated to the sight of the Moon rising over the Prairie. It isn't full yet, but it looks awfully close. What a beautiful end to a wonderful hike
Comments
Post a Comment