Annual – Tendrils

Blue Lettuce Revisited

Two dear friends within several months of each over have discovered what I think is this plant. The individual flowers look a good bit like Chicory, the rest of the plant? Oh what a difference. Blue Lettuce (Lactuca floridana).

Blue Lettuce is an annual biennial herb growing from a taproot to a height of four to eight feet or taller. At the top of the stem there is a multi-branched inflorescence with a good many flower heads. Each of the flower heads holds as many as twenty blue or white ray flowers and no disk flowers.

Leaves of Blue Lettuce are alternate. The upper leaves are lance shaped with either smooth edges or serrated edges.

The lower leaves are lobed. Leaves, stems and roots release a milky sap when cut or broken. Blue Lettuce is native to central Canada and the eastern and central United States. A fun find in the forest!

Lobelia inflata

Incredibly tiny flowers that grow on slightly hairy stems. At just 1/3 inch long the flowers would be perfect for a dollhouse. Lobelia inflata flowers are a beautiful shade of pale blue-purple. Native to eastern North America.

A bit of conflict on the Internet regarding whether Lobelia inflata is poisonous or not. More sites say it is than the ones that say it is not. My suggestion, don’t eat any part of this plant.

Lobelia inflata is an annual or biennial herbaceous plant that likes moist areas and sunshine. Given its favored conditions it can grow to 3 feet tall. But still those flowers are mighty small.

As the flowers one by one fade, the seed pods grow and expand like small balloons. These seeds pods are an indication that you’ve come upon the right plant. You have come upon Lobelia inflata.

Gaillardia

Here Gaillardias are growing wild in New Mexico, at Bandelier National Monument. A park I’ve visited many times. And hope to visit many more times.

And more Gaillardias growing wild at Bandelier National Monument. It seems they’re ubiquitous!

It amuses me. My Dad had a thing about digging up Dandelions in his lawn. He was always in a battle with them. That was in Maryland. My father-in-law also had a thing about digging things up from his lawn. The flowers he was in a constant battle with? Gaillardia. That was in New Mexico.

I love Gaillardias. But I must plant them, and care for them. I guess a weed is something that grows where you don’t want it to be.

Gaillardias are in the Sunflower family. Gaillardia is a genus of flowering plants that are native to the Americas. There are twenty-five to thirty species of Gaillardia, annuals, biennials, and perennials. There are also many cultivars.

Many pollinators are attracted to the bright colors of the blooms. Such as the Honey Bee in the previous image, and here a Carpenter Bee.

Butterflies love Gaillardia too. Here a Silvery Checkerspot is enjoying a Gaillardia in one of my gardens.

Violets for the Birthday Girl

She’s celebrating her 104th birthday. Absolutely marvelous. She’s part of an amazing family. A family that brings love to everything they do. And she loves Violets. So Violets it will be.

There are somewhere between four hundred and five hundred different species of Violets in the genus Viola, and those Violets are scattered all over this planet.

I’m really pleased to find many many different species of them here on my mountain, up in Shenandoah National Park and other places that I roam.

I’m thrilled to find an unknown leaf, an unknown flower and Violets always surprise me with their variety.

There is even at least one small shrub in the genus Viola which grows in Portugal. Most other species are either perennial or annual plants.

I don’t think I’ll be getting to Portugal anytime soon but that’s fine. There’s so many Violets here to keep me busy with finding, photographing and identifying them.

Keep in mind as you’re tending your gardens to leave some of the Violets. They’re beautiful and they are depended upon by many of the Fritillary butterflies as a primary host plant.

Sending loads of Violet thoughts and many hugs to you, birthday girl!