WiseAcre Gardens

Put on a pair of old sneakers and go for a short hike in the Grasse River. Start at the hamlet of Morley and splash your way downstream. With the current low water level a good portion of the river bed lies exposed and it’s possible to go about a mile downstream without getting more than knee deep in the water. The river banks are private property so you can’t take the short hike on foot without getting them wet. You either wade or trespass. I suggest wading like I do.

Grasse River – looking upstream to Morley

Before I get to the wildflowers I need to mention this section of the river is a great spot to go small mouth bass fishing. They run small but they’re plentiful and will keep ya more than busy reeling them in. There’s nearly always a ‘keeper’ in the bunch and catching your limit isn’t all that unusual. Me, I’m all catch and release – the water gets pretty warm and the bass tend to get mighty grubby. Bass aren’t the only thing lurking below the water’s surface. I’ve pulled out Walleye, Perch and have even hooked onto a good sized Muskie here. The fishing is good till you can’t wade any deeper, after that you need a boat.

A rock ledge overhanging the south bank of the river

Cardinal Flowers dot the river bank

There were plenty of Monkey-Flowers growing where the water had receded. One plant was doomed, left stranded in a bit of mud stuck on a rock. I don’t give it much chance of surviving.

Square-stemmed Monkey-flower

I should go back and rescue it. ‘Blue’ flowers are hard to come by and I think this one would appreciate being placed in my pond garden.

Square Stemmed Monkey Flower – Mimulus ringens

I can’t make up my mind which of the photos to post.

So you get all 3.

Another blue wildflower on the river bank is Common Skullcap. There are more this year than I ever remember but it just might be a matter of timing.

Common Skullcap – Scutellaria galericulata (S epilobiifolia)

Another look, this time a bit closer at the cap.

And a look at the leaves of this skullcap.

Although the name implies this wildflower is blue I see it as more of a purple. Blue Vervain has tiny flowers but the multiple flower spikes are hard to miss contrasted against the river.

Blue Vervain – Verbena hastata

The flowers bloom a few at a time while advancing up the spike.

A look at a Blue Vervain leaf.

That’s it for blue. Time for yellow.

Sneezeweed, I assume it gets it’s common name from the fact that the powdered leaves of this wildflower induces sneezing. Native Americans also powdered dried florets to use as a snuff to treat head colds and catarrh.

Sneezeweed – Helenium autumnale

And just because they’re so pretty – another photo of them.

Warning:
Poisonous to cattle, fish, worms and insects. It may cause dermatitis – I assume to humans.

The next yellow flower was a real find for me. This is the first time I’ve ‘documented’ this plant. I may have seen it before but never managed to get a photo or place it in my memory.

Great St. Johnswort – Hypericum ascyron (Hypericum pyramidatum)

Giant might be a better name, this St. Johnswort can grow to 6 feet in height and the flowers are huge (up to 3 inch across) compared to other species of this plant. Even the seed pods are over sized.

Time to wrap up this post. I’ve already bogged down the loading time with too many photos. It’s time to flutter off but not before I post a couple more photos.

A Red Admiral Butterfly on Joe Pye-weed

Canadian Geese on the Grasse

Where in the world is Morley, NY?

View Larger Map

They say to ‘Stop and smell the flowers’. I say, you better check the flowers out before you go sticking your nose somewhere it may get bit. Sometimes what looks like a tiny bit of debris stuck to the flower turns out to be a real surprise.

Ambush Bugs usually are not spotted as easily as this one on a wild bergamot flower. For some reason this bug ugly predator wasn’t even trying to blend in with the flower. Still, if I wasn’t purposely looking for these bugs I probably would have never seen it.

Wild Bergamot – Monarda fistulosa

Wild Bergamot is one of those plants where I know I can find Ambush Bugs. I have to inspect plenty of these wildflowers but I’ve never failed to find Ambush Bugs when I’ve gone hunting for them.

Ambush Bug – Phymata (something or other)

Impulsive flower sniffers are likely to meet other creepy crawlers. Getting eye to eye to eye to eye to eye to eye to eye to eye with them can be a startling experience.

Not so itsy bitsy spider

Locally, peak bloom time has passed for the Wild Bergamot. I was surprised to find some good quality flowers, most are pretty ratty looking these days. From the looks of it I’m not the only one hanging on to their charm.

OK, back to the Ambush Bugs. The yellow blush of Goldenrod is now starting to fill the fields and the ambush bugs are taking up new positions. Goldenrod is a favored flower of these bug eyed creatures. Like bergamot, a close inspection of goldenrod will almost always turn up a couple of ambush bugs.*

* results may vary on location. At least here in the center of St. Lawrence County, NY, ambush bugs are plentiful during these two wildflower bloom times.

A different angle reveals the folded wings and the large ‘biceps’.

How nasty are they? A pic from a previous post – Spearmint Surprise – from last year will give you a hint. Anything that takes on a White Faced Wasp is no wimp.

Musk Mallow is an Old World perennial often seen naturalized around old homesteads. In this case some seed found a less hospitable habitat. While it looks safe and sound behind the BFRs*, growing in a rock quarry is always risky. Next year it may find the ground ripped out from under it.

Musk Mallow – Malva moschata

The pink hibiscus like flowers have a musky odor. The flowers have five notched / ragged looking petals and grow in clusters in the leaf axils. A number of cultivars are grown for color variations, including ‘Alba’ with white flowers, and ‘Rosea’ with dark pink flowers.

The leaves are alternate and lobed. Both the leaves and flowers are edible.

The seed pods aren’t anything special but they do hide something interesting.

Peel away the husk and you find a ring of seed called a schizocarp. I woulda thought a schizocarp is a fish with a split personality. It’s surprising how many times Wikipedia has straightened me out.

…and now for something completely different

You call that a face? One thing for certain, it’s never going to launch a 1000 ships.

Here’s a photo of the dragonfly in case you want to try identifying it. I’m too sore and tired to try, I wrestled BFRs* today and could care less about putting a name to that bug ugly face.

*Big Freaking Rock