Crow’s Nest: What’s in bloom in fall

I didn’t manage to keep up with tracking all of this summer’s blooms, but the meadow wildflowers were spectacular despite the drought. Now that we have had tons of rain and autumn is nearly upon us there are other flowers coming into bloom. In addition to asters, here are a couple others to look for. Above is Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) that you can see in several meadows at the preserve, including at the entrance to our parking area.

Below is bottle gentian (Gentiana andrewsii) that you can see along the trails in the northern meadows. I caught them this year before they get chewed up by insects. They are in peak bloom now!

And here is goldenrod (Solidago spp.) that lights up our meadows.

And here’s white snakeroot (below). While I wasn’t paying attention taxonomists changed the name from Eupatorium rugosum to Ageratina altissima. I guess for many years the genus Eupatorium was a catch-all for many species that are now being separated out, and white snakeroot’s flowers do look like the genus name’s root, ageratum.

Notice the weevil clutching the stem at about 8 o’clock…