Although June is the height of Butterfly-Weed season, many plants bloom into July and August. This one was growing at Robin Hill Park in Moon Township.
For a description of the species, see the Asclepias tuberosa reference page.
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Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Photographed July 16 with a Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z6. -
Hollow Joe-Pye-Weed (Eutrochium fistulosum)
Photographed August 1 with a Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z6. Formerly Eupatorium fistulosum, but the genus Eupatorium has been split into several genera. This beautiful and elegantly constructed plant, also known as Trumpetweed, bears domes of dusty mauve flower heads on towers of whorled leaves, usually five to seven in a whorl. The plants can easily grow to seven feet or more. They prefer a damp environment, and are often seen in the soggier parts of roadsides and fields.
These plants were growing in the native-plant field in Robin Hill Park, Moon Township.
For a description of the species, see the Eutrochium fistulosum reference page.
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Rose Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Photographed July 26 with a Canon PowerShot SX150 IS. Also called Swamp Milkweed, because it prefers a damp environment; this one was growing next to a pond in the Homewood Cemetery. It is adaptable, however, and it has become a popular garden flower with numerous cultivars available.
For a description of the species, see the Asclepias incarnata reference page.
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Water Lily (Nymphaea odorata)
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.
Photographed July 26 with a Canon PowerShot SX150 IS. For a description of the species (not that there’s much chance of misidentifying it), see the Nymphaea odorata reference page.
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Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
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.
Photographed July 16 with a Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z6.
