Photo Feature By Al Harris

Plants of Ladiga Trail

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The first four photos of small orange flowers appear to be Impatiens, though the leaves do not fit with our common Touch-me-not, according to Dr. David Whetstone. His guess is that it may be a cultivated one or one that has escaped cultivation. The flower held a heavy load of nectar, probably making it very appealing to hummingbirds in late summer. These were found on the bike trail at the rear of the Jacksonville Community Center in early October.

According to Dr. Whetstone, the plant above "is likely a member of Asclepias or Matelea, though I am unsure from the photograph. The family is the milk-weed (milky sap or latex in the leaves and stems). Asclepias is an erect herb while Matelea is a vine." Each pod was the size of a large adult hand.

Ironweed, a common plant seen in meadows and fallow fields. The rich purple of the flowers and the tall straight stems make this plant easy to spot.

Dr. Whetstone identified the plant above as a Clematis or "virgin's-bower." He said the species appears to be Clematis dioscoreifolia (or the corrected name Clematis ternifolia).

There are 21 species of ragweed, but the two most often encountered in North America are common or short ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), common in most of the Northeast US, and giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifilda), found mostly in the Mississippi River Valley and Great Lakes region.

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