Delicate dandelion-like flowers that prefer open shade. These were growing by the hundreds along the trains in Bird Park, Mount Lebanon.
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Nipplewort (Lapsana communis)
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Salsify (Tragopogon dubius)
Photographed June 1. Also called oyster-flower or goat’s-beard. There are three similar species, all naturalized from Europe; this one can be distinguished by the “peduncle upwardly enlarged below the head,” as Fernald’s revision of Gray explains. We can see what that means in the picture below: note how the flower stem—the “peduncle”—thickens as it goes up toward the base of the flower head.
These plants were growing in a gravely patch of ground beside Banksville Road in Banksville.
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Philadelphia Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus)
Photographed May 9. Little daisy-like flowers with raggedy heads of countless white or pink rays. It’s a common weed in lawns and along sidewalks in the city. The pink-blushed forms are especially decorative. The flowers above were blooming in Highland Park, the rest in Beechview.
Photographed May 3. For a description of the species, see the Erigeron philadelphicus reference page.
Photographed May 4. 
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Golden Ragwort (Packera aurea)
Photographed April 21. Golden Ragwort can be found in large drifts in Bird Park, Mount Lebanon, where it may have been introduced as part of a habitat-restoration program. The bright golden flowers make a striking sight in the dappled sun of the open woods.
For a description of the species, see the Packera aurea reference page.
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Blue Wood Aster (Symphyotricum cordifolium)
A late aster still blooming on a rocky ledge in the middle of November. Our identification is probable, but asters are notoriously hard to sort out, and more so when the leaves have withered.
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