Native Wildflowers and Plants

[dbltree]

This thread is a place to share information about native wildflowers species and how to plant and maintain them to enhance both the beauty and diversity of your wildlife habitat program.

This link will provide thousands of pictures and information on native wildflowers in every state.

Wildflower Center (http://www.wildflower.org/explore/)

If you have pictures to share or seeds to swap, please share in this thread as native plants and wildflowers are an important but often overlooked aspect of our wildlife habitat programs. :)

Prairie Moon Nursery (http://www.prairiemoon.com/)

Ion Exchange (http://www.ionxchange.com/)

Stock Seed (http://www.stockseed.com/)

Buffalo Brand seed (http://www.buffalobrandseed.com/)

[letemgrow]

Native Perennial Sunflowers is a must have in my book: Lots of wildlife eat the seeds and folage: Here are a couple exampes.

Maximillian Sunflower:

"Helianthus may be used as an ingredient in range seeding mixtures to provide a high quality forage for livestock, and food and cover for wildlife. The plant’s long flowering period and spreading habit, along with its tendency to form thickets or large colonies, make it ideal for wildlife food and cover. Livestock, especially sheep and goats, readily eat the forage."


Western Sunflower:


Helianthus occidentalis, Western Sunflower or Fewleaf Sunflower has 1.5 to 2 inch bright yellow flowers rising 2 to 3 feet tall on slender almost leafless stems with mostly basal foliage. Native Western Sunflower is a colony forming plant that provides excellent ground cover and is very effective for erosion control. It will grow in average to dry soil and like other sunflowers is visited by butterflies and is an excellent bird seed for finches.

Western Sunflower Pic:

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k445/pes1979/Wildflowers%20on%20the%20farm/WesternSunflower.jpg

[letemgrow]

Native Yellow Honeysuckle:

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k445/pes1979/Wildflowers%20on%20the%20farm/yellow_honeysuckle.jpg

This Honeysuckle is not invasive and is a good plant for the native garden.
Attracts birds
Attracts hummingbirds
Attractive flowers
Attracts butterflies

Lonicera flava is easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Yellow Honeysuckle is best planted near a structure upon which to grow and some help in twining up that structure, or it may simply become shrubby or trail along the ground. yellow Honeysuckle flower best in full sun. This vine is NOT INVASIVE and should not be confused with the weedy Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica).

Lonicera flava or yellow honeysuckle is a deciduous, woody, twining vine which typically grows 10-20'. It is a native vine which occurs in rocky soils in woods, slopes, bluffs, ledges and stream margins from Kansas Eastward. Elliptic green leaves (to 3.5" long) are grayish green below and are paired along the stems, with the uppermost leaves on each stem joined at the bases (perfoliate). Two-lipped, tubular, mildly-fragrant, orange-yellow flowers (to 1.25" long) appear in whorls at the stem ends in mid-spring. Flowers give way to round, fleshy, orange to red berries (1/4" diameter) which appear in late summer. Berries are not edible, but birds love them. Hummingbirds and butterflies are attracted to the flowers.
The species is found only in the central to southeastern United States (historically in 12 states) and nowhere else in the world. It propagates primarily by seeds, but its stems are capable of rooting and new plants are easily established.

[letemgrow]

I should be able to collect 5-10 pounds of blazing star from various locations again this year. It is a great native wildflower that attracts lots of insects and insects are good for poults.

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k445/pes1979/Wildflowers%20on%20the%20farm/PrairieBlazingStar.jpg

[dbltree]

The following are compliments of another friend from MO and the QDMA forum HabitatMD...thanks!:way:

Wild Bergamot

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n208/habitatmd/2006-07-15/100_1762.jpg

Tickseed/lance leafed coreopsis.

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n208/habitatmd/2008-07-19/DSC04115.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n208/habitatmd/2007-06-03/DSC00157.jpg

Grey headed coneflower and Gayfeather

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n208/habitatmd/2008-07-19/DSC04096.jpg

Maryland Senna

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n208/habitatmd/2008-08-09/DSC04265.jpg

Rough fruited cinquefoil

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n208/habitatmd/2007-06-03/DSC00156.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n208/habitatmd/2008-06-01/DSC03898.jpg

Praire Rose

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n208/habitatmd/2007-06-03/DSC00186.jpg

Purple Milkweed

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n208/habitatmd/2007-06-03/DSC00179.jpg

Yarrow

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n208/habitatmd/2007-06-03/DSC00153.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n208/habitatmd/2008-06-01/DSC03900.jpg

Ohio Horsemint

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n208/habitatmd/2007-06-03/DSC00160.jpg

Pale Indian Plantain

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n208/habitatmd/2009-06-29/DSC00528.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n208/habitatmd/2009-06-29/DSC00527.jpg

Black-eye susan

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n208/habitatmd/2009-06-29/DSC00506.jpg

Tall Bellflower

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n208/habitatmd/2009-08-01/DSC00752.jpg

Rattlesnake Master

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n208/habitatmd/2009-08-01/DSC00756.jpg

Wingstem

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n208/habitatmd/2007-06-03/DSC00174.jpg

Cup Plant

http://i838.photobucket.com/albums/zz307/dbltree2000/Wildflowers/CupPlant.jpg

[letemgrow]

Virginia Bluebells:

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k445/pes1979/Wildflowers%20on%20the%20farm/Bluebells.jpg

Mertensia virginica Virginia Bluebell is a native perennial plant growing 12 to 24 inches tall. The central stem is round, hairless, and light green and branching occasionally. Bluebell leaves are light green or greyish green, hairless, with a soft floppy texture and are alternate, up to 7" long and 3" across. The leaves are ovate-oval or ovate-oblong in shape, with smooth margins, and conspicuous pinnate venation. They usually taper to a winged petiole, although some of the upper leaves are sessile. Some of the upper stems terminate in nodding clusters of light blue flowers. These flowers are about ¾–1" long. The corolla of each flower is tubular, flaring outward toward the 5 shallow lobes like a trumpet. Within the corolla, are 5 white stamens with light brown anthers and a white style that is long and slender. The small greyish green calyx is divided into 5 blunt teeth. While in the bud stage, the flowers are a light purplish pink, but become light blue with maturity. The blooming period occurs from mid- to late spring, and lasts about 3 weeks. The ovary is divided into 4 lobes, which contain the nutlets. The root system consists of a taproot. This plant often forms colonies.

Virginia Bluebells is a fairly common plant that occurs in most counties of Illinois (see Distribution Map). Habitats include wet to mesic woodlands, especially in semi-shaded floodplain areas along rivers, bluffs, and flower gardens.Faunal Associations: The flowers are pollinated by long-tongued bees primarily, including honeybees, bumblebees, Anthophorid bees, Mason bees, large Leaf-Cutting bees, and Miner bees; these insects seek nectar and collect pollen. Other visitors of the flowers include hummingbirds, bee flies, butterflies, skippers, and Sphinx moths, including hummingbird moths. This group of visitors seek nectar from the flowers. Small flower flies may also visit the flowers, however they feed on the pollen and are not effective pollinators.<O:p</O:p

[dbltree]

Woodland Sunflower

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Wildflowers/WoodlandSunflower.jpg

White Meadowsweet

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Wildflowers/WhiteMeadowsweet.jpg

White Baptisia

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Wildflowers/WhiteBaptisia.jpg

Turtlehead

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Wildflowers/Turtlehead.jpg

Swamp Thistle

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Wildflowers/SwampThistle.jpg


Rough BlazingStar

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Wildflowers/RoughBlazingStar.jpg

Prairie Dock

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Wildflowers/PrairieDock.jpg

Obediant Plant


http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Wildflowers/ObediantPlant.jpg

Hyssop

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Wildflowers/Hyssop.jpg


Hoary Vervain

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Wildflowers/HoaryVervain.jpg

Great Blue Lobelia

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Wildflowers/Great20Blue20Lobelia202.jpg

Flowering Spurge

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Wildflowers/FloweringSpurge.jpg

Evening Primrose

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Wildflowers/EveningPrimrose.jpg

Daisy Flebane

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Wildflowers/DaisyFlebane.jpg

Blue Vervain

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Wildflowers/BlueVervain.jpg

Cream Gentian

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Wildflowers/CreamGentian.jpg

Compass Plant

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Wildflowers/CompassPlant.jpg

Browneyed Susan

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Wildflowers/BrowneyedSusan.jpg

Aster Unknown

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Wildflowers/Aster1.jpg


Aster Unknown


http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Wildflowers/Aster202.jpg

Aster Unknown


http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Wildflowers/Aster203.jpg


Unknown

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Wildflowers/DSC00179.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e288/dbltree/Wildflowers/DSC00178.jpg


If anyone knows the specifics of the unknown flowers please let me know and I'll add the proper names :)

[Alpha Doe]

I'm not positive but this last white/yellow flower maybe some sort of Sweet Everlasting or cat foot. It's in the aster family.

I think the third unknown aster is a New England Aster.:grin:

[muddy]

Good thread. Wish I lived close enough to come down and snip some seed heads for my own foray.

[LoessHillsArcher]

Those first two asters look like Sky Blue Aster...at least one of them is, or both!

[LoessHillsArcher]

And there are some Purple Prairie Clover right beside the Great Blue Lobelia!

[letemgrow]

Queen of the Prairie is known for its beautiful spraylike clusters of pink flowers that make it a stand out and give it its regal name.
The leaves are large and deeply lobed on zigzag stems, and the plants grow to 5 feet tall. It's best grown in full sun (although they can take some shade), and prefers moist to wet soils. The roots are rhizomatous and will spread by runners, which makes it a great plant for naturalizing in moist meadows. Its beautiful blooms make it a showy plant for the garden, but keep in mind that it does spread.

<TABLE class=product-properties cellSpacing=0 summary=Details><TBODY><TR><TD class=property-name>Sun Exposure</TD><TD class=property-value>Prairie </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Soil</TD><TD class=property-value>Wet , Wet Mesic </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Bloom Time</TD><TD class=property-value>June , July , August </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Color</TD><TD class=property-value>Pink </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Height</TD><TD class=property-value>5 feet </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

http://www.prairiemoon.com/images/D/Filipendula-rubra-Queen-of-the-Prairie-flower.jpg

[letemgrow]

http://www.prairiemoon.com/images/D/Filipendula-rubra-Queen-of-the-Prairie-flowers.jpg

[letemgrow]

Here is another great native legume...leadplant.

<TABLE class=product-properties cellSpacing=0 summary=Details><TBODY><TR><TD class=property-name>Sun Exposure</TD><TD class=property-value>Prairie , Savanna </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Soil</TD><TD class=property-value>Mesic , Dry Mesic , Dry </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Bloom Time</TD><TD class=property-value>June , July , August </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Color</TD><TD class=property-value>Purple </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Height</TD><TD class=property-value>3 feet </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

http://www.prairiemoon.com/images/D/Amorpha-canescens-Lead-Plant-flowers1.jpg

[letemgrow]

http://www.prairiemoon.com/images/D/Amorpha-canescens-Lead-Plant.jpg

[letemgrow]

Swamp Milkweed:

Asclepias incarnata, Swamp Milkweed, is also commonly called Red Milkweed or Marsh Milkweed. That lovely vanilla fragrance you detect coming from large rosy pink flowers possibly hosting several Monarch butterflies is very likely Swamp Milkweed. This deer resistant plant grows in moist to average soils, and blooms in July and August. Later, large pods formed, which will break open to reveal seeds that will float away in the wind. If growing Swamp Milkweed from seed, try fall planting - or if planting in spring be sure to first moist-cold stratify the seeds for a month. Large numbers of Swamp Milkweed can often be seen growing in wetland settings.

<TABLE class=product-properties cellSpacing=0 summary=Details><TBODY><TR><TD class=property-name>Sun Exposure</TD><TD class=property-value>Prairie </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Soil</TD><TD class=property-value>Wet , Wet Mesic , Mesic </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Bloom Time</TD><TD class=property-value>June , July , August </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Color</TD><TD class=property-value>Red </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Height</TD><TD class=property-value>4 feet </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

http://www.prairiemoon.com/images/D/Asclepias-incarnata-Swamp-Milkweed-flower.jpg

[letemgrow]

Here is another great wildflower....Perennial Lupine

The Karner Blue Butterfly is a federally endangered species native to the Great Lakes region. Its life cycle is solely dependent on the Wild Lupine. Genus Lupinus is a legume.Prairie Moon provides species-specific inoculum with most legumes free of charge. Inoculum will keep refrigerated for approximately 1 year. To properly inoculate your legume seed prior to planting, follow germination code I. Wild Lupine requires sandy soils.

<TABLE class=product-properties cellSpacing=0 summary=Details><TBODY><TR><TD class=property-name>Sun Exposure</TD><TD class=property-value>Prairie , Savanna </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Soil</TD><TD class=property-value>Dry Mesic , Dry </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Bloom Time</TD><TD class=property-value>May , June , July </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Color</TD><TD class=property-value>Purple </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Height</TD><TD class=property-value>2 feet </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


https://www.prairiemoon.com/images/D/Lupinus%20perennis-Wild-Lupine-field.jpg

[letemgrow]

Fireweed:

<TABLE class=product-properties cellSpacing=0 summary=Details><TBODY><TR><TD class=property-name>Sun Exposure</TD><TD class=property-value>Prairie , Savanna </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Soil</TD><TD class=property-value>Wet Mesic , Mesic , Dry Mesic </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Bloom Time</TD><TD class=property-value>June , July , August </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Color</TD><TD class=property-value>Pink </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Height</TD><TD class=property-value>4 feet </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

https://www.prairiemoon.com/images/D/Epilobium-angustifolium-Fireweed-plant.jpg

[letemgrow]

Illinois Tick Trefoil:

<TABLE class=product-properties cellSpacing=0 summary=Details><TBODY><TR><TD class=property-name>Sun Exposure</TD><TD class=property-value>Prairie , Savanna </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Soil</TD><TD class=property-value>Dry Mesic , Dry </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Bloom Time</TD><TD class=property-value>July , August </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Color</TD><TD class=property-value>Purple </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Height</TD><TD class=property-value>6 feet </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

https://www.prairiemoon.com/images/D/Desmodium_Illinois_Illinois_Tick_Trefoil_flower.jp g

[letemgrow]

Showy Tick Trefoil:

Desmodium canadense is aptly named Showy Tick Trefoil for its numerous pink flowers that bloom along the plant’s upper stems for about three weeks in mid-summer. The effect is more attractive in colonies than isolated plants and tight plantings can help counter a tendency to sprawl. Like other tick trefoils (legume), Desmodium canadense adds soil nitrogen and has tiny hairs along its stems, leaves and seedpods, facilitating seed distribution by passing mammals and humans. The nectar, pollen, seeds and foliage of this species appeal to a number of insects, birds and mammals.

<TABLE class=product-properties cellSpacing=0 summary=Details><TBODY><TR><TD class=property-name>Sun Exposure</TD><TD class=property-value>Prairie , Savanna </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Soil</TD><TD class=property-value>Wet Mesic , Mesic , Dry Mesic </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Bloom Time</TD><TD class=property-value>July , August </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Color</TD><TD class=property-value>Purple </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Height</TD><TD class=property-value>5 feet </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

https://www.prairiemoon.com/images/D/Desmodium-canadense-Showy-Tick-Trefoil-flower.jpg

[letemgrow]

Tall Larkspur:

<TABLE class=product-properties cellSpacing=0 summary=Details><TBODY><TR><TD class=property-name>Sun Exposure</TD><TD class=property-value>Prairie , Savanna </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Soil</TD><TD class=property-value>Mesic , Dry Mesic </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Bloom Time</TD><TD class=property-value>July , August </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Color</TD><TD class=property-value>Purple </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Height</TD><TD class=property-value>4 feet </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

https://www.prairiemoon.com/images/D/Delphinium-exaltatum-Tall-Larkspur-close-up.jpg

[letemgrow]

Joe Pyeweed:

<TABLE class=product-properties cellSpacing=0 summary=Details><TBODY><TR><TD class=property-name>Sun Exposure</TD><TD class=property-value>Prairie , Savanna </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Soil</TD><TD class=property-value>Wet , Wet Mesic </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Bloom Time</TD><TD class=property-value>June , July , August </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Color</TD><TD class=property-value>Pink </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Height</TD><TD class=property-value>5 feet </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

https://www.prairiemoon.com/images/D/Eupatorium-maculatum-Joe-Pye-Weed-closeup.jpg

[letemgrow]

Saw-Tooth Sunflower:

<TABLE class=product-properties cellSpacing=0 summary=Details><TBODY><TR><TD class=property-name>Height:</TD><TD class=property-value>8 feet</TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Sun Exposure</TD><TD class=property-value>Prairie , Savanna </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Soil</TD><TD class=property-value>Wet Mesic , Mesic , Dry Mesic </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Bloom Time</TD><TD class=property-value>August , September , October </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Color</TD><TD class=property-value>Yellow </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

https://www.prairiemoon.com/images/D/Helianthus-grosseserratus-Saw-tooth-Sunflower-flowers1.jpg

[letemgrow]

Showy Sunflower:

<TABLE class=product-properties cellSpacing=0 summary=Details><TBODY><TR><TD class=property-name>Soil</TD><TD class=property-value>Dry Mesic , Dry </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Bloom Time</TD><TD class=property-value>July , August , September </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Color</TD><TD class=property-value>Yellow </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Height</TD><TD class=property-value>5 feet </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

http://www.prairiemoon.com/images/P/Helianthus_laetiflorus_Showy_Sunflower_flower.jpg

[letemgrow]

Downy Sunflower:

<TABLE class=product-properties cellSpacing=0 summary=Details><TBODY><TR><TD class=property-name>Sun Exposure</TD><TD class=property-value>Prairie , Savanna </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Soil</TD><TD class=property-value>Mesic , Dry Mesic </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Bloom Time</TD><TD class=property-value>August , September </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Color</TD><TD class=property-value>Yellow </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Height</TD><TD class=property-value>5 feet </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

http://www.prairiemoon.com/images/P/Helianthus-mollis-Downy-Sunflower-01.jpg

[letemgrow]

Pale Leaved Sunflower:

<TABLE class=product-properties cellSpacing=0 summary=Details><TBODY><TR><TD class=property-name>Sun Exposure</TD><TD class=property-value>Prairie , Savanna </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Soil</TD><TD class=property-value>Wet Mesic , Mesic , Dry Mesic </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Bloom Time</TD><TD class=property-value>July , August , September , October </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Color</TD><TD class=property-value>Yellow </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Height</TD><TD class=property-value>3 feet </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

http://www.prairiemoon.com/images/P/Helianthus_strumosus_Pale_Leaved_Sunflower_flower. jpg

[letemgrow]

Tall Sunflower:

<TABLE class=product-properties cellSpacing=0 summary=Details><TBODY><TR><TD class=property-name>Height:</TD><TD class=property-value>8 feet</TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Sun Exposure</TD><TD class=property-value>Prairie , Savanna </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Soil</TD><TD class=property-value>Wet Mesic , Mesic </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Bloom Time</TD><TD class=property-value>July , August , September </TD></TR><TR><TD class=property-name>Color</TD><TD class=property-value>Yellow </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


http://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/udata/r9ndp23q/yellow/giant-sunflower-0803_110945.jpg

[letemgrow]

I got a little extra dough for christmas, so I decided to buy a few more native wildflowers and went with an ounce of each of these.

Tall Larkspur:

https://www.prairiemoon.com/images/D/Delphinium-exaltatum-Tall-Larkspur-close-up.jpg

Showy Tick Trefoil:

http://www.prairiemoon.com/images/D/Desmodium-canadense-Showy-Tick-Trefoil-flower.jpg

Showy Beard Tongue:

http://www.naturalheritage.org/!UserFiles/gallery/Purple%20Beardtongue%20-%20Penstemon%20cobaea%2001.jpg

[letemgrow]

Here are pics of some young wildflowers:

Partridge Pea:

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k445/pes1979/Trees%20on%20the%20Farm/Farm%20Trip%2006-06-09/FarmTrip06-06030.jpg

Illinois Bundleflower:

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k445/pes1979/Trees%20on%20the%20Farm/Farm%20Trip%2006-06-09/FarmTrip06-06031.jpg

[letemgrow]

I bought some 2.50 packets of various perennial sunflowers and blazing stars and planted them in rootmaker bags. Looks like I will end up with about 30-40 plants per species to end up planting on the farm this fall. Did the same thing with western sunflower last year and all of those are still alive...except for the ones under the flood water many times :D

This way is much cheaper for me and most of the perennial plants end up producing seed in the first year which is very hard to get planting them the conventional way.

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k445/pes1979/Wildflowers%20on%20the%20farm/PerennialSunflowers.jpg

[letemgrow]

Some southern folks talk about deer hammering pokeweed. I have yet to see one browsed on my property, but they are a striking native plant and birds find the seeds useful so I leave them be. They sure do pop up in a lot of places where I spray and kill the sod.

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k445/pes1979/Wildflowers%20on%20the%20farm/Pokeweed.jpg

[dbltree]

I bought some 2.50 packets of various perennial sunflowers and blazing stars and planted them in rootmaker bags. Looks like I will end up with about 30-40 plants per species to end up planting on the farm this fall. Did the same thing with western sunflower last year and all of those are still alive...except for the ones under the flood water many times :D

This way is much cheaper for me and most of the perennial plants end up producing seed in the first year which is very hard to get planting them the conventional way.

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k445/pes1979/Wildflowers%20on%20the%20farm/PerennialSunflowers.jpg

Your wearing me out Phil! :D

I thought I was a habitat nut but you got me beat hands down! :grin::way:

[letemgrow]

Your wearing me out Phil! :D

I thought I was a habitat nut but you got me beat hands down! :grin::way:



I already have next years wildflowers picked out to buy and several roadsides to get others from!! :drink2:

I gotta do that to keep the spending down throughout the year and if I keep this up, I can put back close to 100 native wildflowers on the farm in the next few years and then just maintain them.

[letemgrow]

One thing I am going to try is planting these out around my desirable shrub plantings the year after to fill in the gaps. These are rhizomatous and perennial so they will spready by the roots and come back year after year. Planting them the year after gives me the advantage of already having the ground prepped and competition killed and these will not out compete the shrubs after they are establised the first year.

[letemgrow]

Here is another pic of sawtooth sunflower from Bluestem Nursery. I am hoping some perennial sunflowers will stand for a long time through the fall to provide bedding and lots of food for the gold finches. :D

http://www.bluestemnursery.com/Images/Photos/SawtoothSunflower&Dad-50.jpg

[Nontypcl1]

Any of you have problems with oxeye daisy? (leucanthemum sp.) Over the past few years a couple areas that have traditionally been full of coreopsis, monarda, rudebeckia, echinacea, and many other prairie natives are now being over run by oxeye daisy. The native population also appears to have declined greatly.

Any ideas on controlling them? I don't really want to spray 2,4-d and take out the natives. Would burning help control them? If so, what time of year would set them back the most? I know burning would set back some the other native wildflowers but I also don't want oxeye daisy everywhere else on my property.

[letemgrow]

Any of you have problems with oxeye daisy? (leucanthemum sp.) Over the past few years a couple areas that have traditionally been full of coreopsis, monarda, rudebeckia, echinacea, and many other prairie natives are now being over run by oxeye daisy. The native population also appears to have declined greatly.

Any ideas on controlling them? I don't really want to spray 2,4-d and take out the natives. Would burning help control them? If so, what time of year would set them back the most? I know burning would set back some the other native wildflowers but I also don't want oxeye daisy everywhere else on my property.


Usually a burn that promotes nwsg hurts wildflowers so I would think late april/early may depending on the year possibly?? Not sure when they flower, but a burn right before that would be ideal to really hammer them.

[letemgrow]

The perennial sunflowers sure are loving this heat!! Now if I only would have tagged them so I knew what was what. :D

I planted swamp, sawtooth, giant and showy sunflowers.

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k445/pes1979/Wildflowers%20on%20the%20farm/100_1480.jpg

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k445/pes1979/Wildflowers%20on%20the%20farm/100_1479.jpg

I believe this one is swamp sunflower.

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k445/pes1979/Wildflowers%20on%20the%20farm/100_1478.jpg

[letemgrow]

Ordered a few packets of wildflower seeds today for the pollinators. Showy (prairie) sunflower, scaly blazing star, canada milk vetch and meadow blazing star (#1 for monarchs).
Canada Milk Vetch:
https://www.prairiemoon.com/images/D/Astragalus-canadensis-Canadian-Milk-Vetch-flowers-01.jpg
Info:
This plant is known as a common nectar source for bumblebees and honeybees, and for food for herbivores including deer, groundhogs, rabbits and livestock. The seeds may be eaten occasionally by the Wild Turkey. Also called Canadian Milk Vetch, it also attracts hummingbirds, song birds and butterflies, including the Western Tailed Blue butterfly larvae.
Showy Sunflower:
https://www.prairiemoon.com/images/D/Helianthus_laetiflorus_Showy_Sunflower_with-Big-bluestem.jpg
The flowers attract bumblebees, Miner bees, large Leaf-Cutting bees, Halictine bees, bee flies, butterflies, and skippers. Typical butterfly visitors include Phyciodes tharos (Pearl Crescent), Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady), and Chlosyne spp. (Checkerspots). These insects seek nectar, although the bees also collect pollen. The caterpillars of the butterflies Chlosyne nycteis (Silvery Checkerspot), Chlosyne gorgone (Gorgon Checkerspot), and Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady) feed on the foliage of this and other sunflowers. The caterpillars of several species of moths and miscellaneous other insects feed on various parts of sunflowers (see Insect Table). This includes the larvae of Microrhapala cyanea (Leaf Miner Beetle) and Gnorimoschema sp. (Gall Moth sp.), the latter forming circular galls on the stems. The large and nutritious seeds are eaten by many kinds of upland gamebirds, songbirds, and small rodents (see Wildlife Table). The Eastern Pocket Gopher eats the roots, while deer and livestock browse on the foliage.
Scaly Blazing Star:
https://www.prairiemoon.com/images/D/Liatris-squarrosa-Scaly-Blazing-Star-flowers3.jpg
Info:
The flowerheads are cross-pollinated primarily by bumblebees, butterflies, and skippers. In general, several insect species feed on Liatris spp. (Blazingstars). These species include: the caterpillars of Schinia sanguinea (Blazingstar Flower Moth), which feed on the florets and developing seeds; the caterpillars of Papaipema beeriana (Blazingstar Borer Moth) and Carmenta anthracipennis (Liatris Borer Moth), which bore through the stems; and the aphids Aphis laciniariae and Aphis craccivora, which suck plant juices. The foliage and flowerheads of Blazingstars are edible to many mammalian herbivores, including cattle, horses, sheep, goats, deer, rabbits, and groundhogs. Where these mammals are abundant, Blazingstar populations usually decline.
Meadow Blazing Star:
http://www.prairiemoon.com/images/D/Liatris-ligulistylis-Meadow-Blazing-Star-Monarch.jpg
The flowers are pollinated primarily by long-tongued bees, butterflies, and skippers. Other visitors include Halictine bees, bee flies, and day-flying moths. Among the long-tongued bees, are such visitors as honeybees, bumblebees, Little Carpenter bees, Miner bees, and large Leaf-Cutting bees. Butterfly visitors include Monarchs, Swallowtails, Painted Ladies, Sulfurs, Whites, and others. The caterpillars of the rare Schinia gloriosa (Glorious Flower Moth) feed on the flowers and seed capsules. Various mammalian herbivores readily consume Prairie Blazingstar. Younger plants may be eaten by rabbits and groundhogs, while mature plants are likely targets of deer or livestock. Small rodents, such as the Prairie Vole and Meadow Vole, sometimes eat the corms. An overpopulation of these animals can make establishment of this plant difficult in some areas.
All the pics are courtesy of Prairie Moon Nursery and the info came from www.Illinoiswildflower.info (http://www.Illinoiswildflower.info). These are very important pieces to the puzzle on my farm since wildflowers are basically non-existent and they will add much needed diversity and appeal to lots of animals, and insects besides the game species I chase.

[letemgrow]

Found a PILE of Virginia Bluebells growing in the creek bottom while I was putting up a panel fence.

Is there such thing as a white bluebell :confused:

Maybe it just has not matured yet, but every other bluebell in this area was blue at this same time.

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k445/pes1979/Wildflowers%20on%20the%20farm/WhiteBluebells.jpg

[IQDM]

Found a PILE of Virginia Bluebells growing in the creek bottom while I was putting up a panel fence.

Is there such thing as a white bluebell :confused:

Maybe it just has not matured yet, but every other bluebell in this area was blue at this same time.

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k445/pes1979/Wildflowers%20on%20the%20farm/WhiteBluebells.jpg
Its an Albino Bluebell! ;)

[letemgrow]

I can see a ton of uses for this native vine!! Downed tree tops, around fencing for seedlings and basically anywhere in between. It grows in dense shade, full sun, creek bottoms and hills.

Here it is on a red oak I potted this year from the MDC.

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k445/pes1979/Habitat%20Improvements%20on%20the%20farm/TrailingWildBeanonRedOak.jpg

[letemgrow]

Well this is for sure Canada Milk Vetch...blooming in the first year!! Can't wait to get it added to the farm and see how they deer take to it. If they browse it heavily that would be great. A native perennial, that attracts insects/pollinators and feeds deer by the ton and I will never have to plant it again.

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k445/pes1979/Wildflowers%20on%20the%20farm/CanadaMilkVetch.jpg

[muddy]

letemgrow, did you have any luck with the seeds i sent you? nothing i planted came up for me.

[letemgrow]

letemgrow, did you have any luck with the seeds i sent you? nothing i planted came up for me.


They were planted at the farm with some other goodies and right now its still up in the air....I see a few wf's coming through with the NWSG's, but they are just getting going.

[muddy]

I guess my issue is that I don't know what rattlesnake master and blazing star look like when first germinating!

[letemgrow]

Blazing star looks like a blade of grass when its really young.

[DH1]

I came across some interesting links from Pheasants Forever:
1) one of their pages has a nice summary on Federal Cost share programs and county contact information for every State in the Union.
2) another talked about pollinators (ie benifits tobuilding a complete CRP mix)
Along with these links, in tooling around the site it was appearant the overlap in building deer plots and pheasant habitat, for the Iowan or Minnostan deer plotter with limited equiqment it would seem like they have the potentail to provide some resources with a mutal benifit in mind.

http://www.pheasantsforever.org/page/1/farmbill.jsp

link to a link on PF Pollinator Habitat
http://www.pheasantsforever.org/page/1/2011CRPSignUp.jsp

[letemgrow]

Sometimes spraying the cool season grasses with roundup is all it takes to get some wf's going.

You may be surprised at what is already in your seed bank. This area is all remnant, nothing was planted here.

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k445/pes1979/Wildflowers%20on%20the%20farm/100_0326.jpg

[letemgrow]

I scatter seeded this area 2 years ago with locally collected seeds. The area was prepped iwth roundup 2-3 times before seeding.

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k445/pes1979/Wildflowers%20on%20the%20farm/Wildflowers-BlazingStar.jpg

[letemgrow]

Another area done the same way...purple coneflower and gray headed coneflower.

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k445/pes1979/Wildflowers%20on%20the%20farm/Wildflowers-Coneflower.jpg

[letemgrow]

This is an area of downy sunflower that has always been there, I just sprayed the fescue around it when the natives were dormant in the fall so they reseed on their own in the freshly killed areas.

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k445/pes1979/Wildflowers%20on%20the%20farm/Wildflowers-DownySunflower.jpg

[LoessHillsArcher]

Got a couple to run by anyone who knows a thing or two about wild flowers. I thought I may have these ID'd right but not sure. Again, I'm not 100% on either of these, just took pictures when I saw them and tried flipping through the Illinois Wildflower website to see if any looked familiar.

Smooth Hedge Nettle - http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/sl_hdgnettlex.htm
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/iowadeerhunter/Number%20two/100_2539.jpg

Whorled Milkweed - http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/wh_milkweedx.htm
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/iowadeerhunter/Number%20two/100_2514.jpg

[letemgrow]

That Whorled Milkweed is pretty rare if I remember correctly.

[letemgrow]

This either wild or maryland senna I planted in a flower bed as seeds in the fall and they are going to have seeds this year for me to collect from....thanks again Brad!! :D

Think of this plant a partridge pea on steroids....


http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k445/pes1979/Wildflowers%20on%20the%20farm/WildSenna.jpg

[letemgrow]

For anyone interested in collecting wildflower seeds....some are ready for the taking!!!

1. Illinois Bundleflower
2. Prairie Clovers
3. Coneflowers

These are for sure ready now in most, if not all cases. In a couple more weeks it will be blazing star picking time!

[letemgrow]

Just collected some flavor of tick trefoil, purple prairie clover, blazing star and little bluestem.

I rubbed my hands on the ziploc baggie for a while to get rid of a lot of the fuzziness the tick trefoil and blazing stars had on them. They should not blow away as well in the wind now when I scatter seed them this winter.

The site has already been prepped twice with roundup so it will be bare for the seeding.

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k445/pes1979/Wildflowers%20on%20the%20farm/100_0441.jpg

[letemgrow]

Some goodies just showed up at my door from Stock Seed Farms, Prairie Moon Nursery and Prairie Frontier!!!

Prairie Moon

2 oz Canada Milk Vetch
2 oz of white and purple prairie clover
1 oz slender lespedeza
2 oz partridge pea

Stock Seed Farms
1lb White Prairie Clover

Prairie Frontier
2 pkts of showy sunflower, compass plant, pale purple coneflower and various blazingstars....should make for a pretty wildflower garden, many flowers for the pollinators, seeds for game and non-game birds and some browsing for your 4 legged friends!!!

These will be broadcast this winter/spring on a site the dozer prepped when the new fence was put in the past summer....poorer soils that hardly anything grew back on.

[letemgrow]

Forgot about the pound of purple prairie clover seed I ordered from Osenbaugh's!!! :D

They have a great product and for 20 bucks a pound of cleaned seed...that is the best deal I have seen for PPC!!!

[letemgrow]

Also check out Hamilton Seed from MO....they have a pound of slender lespedeza for 50 dollars. That may seem high, till you check out what other places are selling it for. Deer and rabbits love that plant and the seeds hang on during winter for a late season source for birds.

http://www.hamiltonseed.com/plant_list.html