Though the USDA PLANTS Database lists Nymphaea odorata as native only in Westmoreland County in our area, it is certainly naturalized in many Pittsburgh ponds. These plants were blooming in the pond at the Homewood Cemetery.
For a description of the species (not that there’s much chance of misidentifying it), see the Nymphaea odorata reference page.
A native plant often grown as a garden perennial. It is listed as native in the USDA PLANTS Database throughout most of the eastern United States, but Gray (revised by Fernald) points out that it is often a garden escape. Our wild specimens of this plant in the Pittsburgh area are probably descended mostly from garden plants, but it is hard to tell anymore. These were blooming in a field deliberately maintained as a native-plant showcase in Robin Hill Park, Moon Township.
For a description of the species, see the Monarda fistulosa reference page.
A popular garden groundcover frequently found in the wild around Pittsburgh. The forms around here usually have a white blotch in the middle of each leaf, which makes identification easy.
There are many common names for this plant; Purple Dragon is another, and the flowers do look like little dragon heads if you have the kind of imagination that sees dragon heads in little purple flowers.
For Gray’s description of the species, see the Lamium maculatum reference page.
Deptford Pink was a beloved garden flower back in the days when people could appreciate tiny but beautiful flowers. Brought over to America, it has made itself at home here without becoming a pest, so that seeing a Deptford Pink here or there always feels like a privilege, even though it is not an uncommon plant. This one was blooming in a partly-shaded area in Robin Hill Park, Moon Township.
For a description of the species, see the Dianthus armeria reference page.
A cheerful garden flower that has made itself at home here. It is frequently found at the edges of lawns or along roadsides; these plants were blooming along the edges of a German cemetery in Beechview.
For a description of the species, see the Saponaria officinalis reference page.
