Closed Gentian
While not rare this blue gentian is a bit harder to find than other wildflowers. It prefers wet meadows and I find it scattered here and there and each time I do is a pleasant surprise. So when I found these growing in a ‘lost’ corner of my yard I was thrilled.
Gentiana andrewsii
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But now the thrill is gone. Somebody ate the tops off my new prize.
A sure sign of Autumn in my yard is the return of the deer. I don’t mind them eating the Hostas. I’ll put up with then munching on the garden phlox. I even let them prune my Lilacs. But they went too far when they munched on the only Gentians on the property. As my hero and role model would say Of course you know this means war |
I did find a little consolation prize growing in the lawn. I can’t identify it but this tiny flower is a real beauty.
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I don’t have a clue. Wildflower? Garden Escapee?
This is so tiny I can only think of thyme when I consider it as an escapee. I’m hoping someone can give me a clue. I probably only need a good smack upside the head so I can focus my thoughts. Right now I’m distracted by trying to figure out just what season it is.
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September 23rd, 2009 at 1:25 pm
The gentian is really beautiful. I can see why you are so possessive of it. The deer can choose other plants. Your mystery plant is also lovely. Sorry, I don’t know what it is.
September 23rd, 2009 at 3:38 pm
I love gentians. We get the closed, or bottle gentian, and the fringed. Both used to be abundant on my mom’s 30 acres, but now just a few here and there.
Hopefully yours will reappear next fall minus the deer.
September 23rd, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Oh man, that sucks! I’m sorry the deer ate the Gentian. It certainly isn’t common and it’s a gorgeous blue.
September 23rd, 2009 at 5:00 pm
There was a woman I just talked to a few days ago that told me that deer were eating her flowers too. When she tried to shoo them away, they chased her back into her house. Our deer are mean around here. You got great flower pictures, as usual. I wish I could help you out with identifying that last one, but you are the one I come to for that kind of help.
September 23rd, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Deer are one of the banes (?) of my garden. I can’t believe they have the nerve! I get Elk, they leave giant holes in my garden beds and knock over guywires to the windmill, the brutes.
Perhaps the deer brought the mystery flower in the pooplets they left you? Seeds?
Rosey
September 23rd, 2009 at 5:45 pm
I vote for a hybrid alien mix … with some very bold thyme in the mix .. it is such a gorgeous little thing .. maybe a fairy dusted some powder on it to make it look more mysterious ?
The gentian is a stunning blue .. poor deer don’t mean to be flower eaters .. they just think it was delicious ? .. couldn’t help themselves ? Maybe it it like chocolate to “them” .. and you wouldn’t want to get between “women” and CHOCOLATE would you ?
PS .. thank you for making me laugh at your comment you left for me on my blog .. I needed that today
Joy
You keep daring me and I keep taking you up on it .. sounds like a pretty stable relationship ?
September 23rd, 2009 at 8:07 pm
I almost bought a cage for a small animal, to keep bunnies away, but then realized that my boys would want to keep all the catch as pets! Gentiana was gorgeous! It’s good that you have its picture!
September 23rd, 2009 at 10:27 pm
Grrr. Don’t get me started on critters: it’s bulb eating, I mean planting, season.
September 24th, 2009 at 1:12 am
OK, now you’ve made me nuts. Plus, I know I’ve tried to ID this guy before. The flower says lobelia, but the leaves are opposite. I think it is wild thyme Thymus serpyllum. Square stem?
September 24th, 2009 at 6:43 am
The noirve! Bugsy is my hero too, always ready to take on what comes his way with humor and valor. I have never seen a gentian in real life, but your capture is worth a thousand words. And worth fighting for!
Frances
September 24th, 2009 at 8:45 am
I felt the same way when the groundhog ate all my echinacea–we had had a DEAL! I saw a white gentian in a prairie the other day, but don’t know its name. Will show it in a mish-mash Monday post on, well, Monday. (I’m so predictable!)
September 24th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Yes, the wildlife again. I really don’t understand why they can’t eat the weeds and leave the good stuff alone. As for the Jay I’ve most recently encountered chasing all other birds away… Well, some days I wish my neighbor’s cat was a little smarter.
September 24th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Beautiful gentian. Your post reminded me that I have some wild shrub growing in the backyard that I’ll need help identifying. It’s blooming, but the rain has made the flowers all droopy, so I can’t get a good luck at the flower, much less take a good picture of one. Hopefully they’ll still bloom for me when the rain moves on this weekend, and also hopefully this plant won’t turn out to be a horrible invasive!
September 24th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Luck, look — oops on my typo!
September 30th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Euphrasia stricta ! methinks
September 30th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
Eyebright ! (Euphrasia stricta, methinks).
October 1st, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Sorry about the double post but there was some comment box hiccup yesterday. My comments wouldn’t register so I gave up after the third try only to find two of them here this morning.
Long story short, I went out walking today and guess what I saw ? Omg, they’re TINY, much smaller than I imagined, but very lovely indeed.