Also known as Bouncing Bet. The flowers have a long blooming season—part of what made them favorites in gardens, from which they escaped to make themselves at home along our roadsides. These plants were growing in great profusion along the Montour Trail in Moon Township.
For a description of the species, see the Saponaria officinalis reference page.
Also sometimes called Bladder Campion, especially in the United States; but that name also belongs to the even more bladdery Silene vulgaris. These charming white flowers were blooming along the Montour Trail in Moon Township, where we caught them still spattered with dew.
For a description of the species, see the Silene latifolia 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.
”Giant” is relative to the minuscule flowers on most chickweeds: these flowers are still small, but this is a showy chickweed. It generally likes damp environments, but it’s adaptable. These were growing beside a sidewalk in the Central Square district of Mount Lebanon.
Some authorities place this plant in the genus Myosoton—a dispute that has apparently been going on for decades, since it is so listed in the 1951 Check List of the Vascular Flora of Allegheny County. The Wikimedia Commons category for Stellaria aquatica redirects to Myosoton aquaticum, which has a link to the Wikipedia article on Myosoton, which redirects to the article on Stellaria, where Myosoton is not mentioned. We have decided to follow Gray until you botanists sort this thing out. For a description of the species, see the Stellaria aquatica reference page.
