Wildflowers when traveling

[kygman]

Have you noticed some states along interstates and other major highways have planted flower beds in the median and off the shoulder. You can be ticketed big time for picking those too.

[PJSaturn]

Great idea for a thread, jtur!

For Karen_in_nh and others, here's a photo of a swallowtail on a coneflower in NW Indiana.




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[PJSaturn]

In one area of divided highway that I drive through on my way to and from work, the DNR has allowed an organization to plant wildflowers in the median. In mid summer it's so beautiful, with coneflowers, black eyed susans and many other flowers native to NW IN. It sure makes the commute to work a lot more pleasant.


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[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by CraigCreek

Spring ephemeral wildflowers are in bloom in much of the eastern and southeastern forests right now - don't dally; catch a glimpse of them while you can before they're gone for another year. Wakerobin, purple, white, and yellow violets, toothwort, spring beauties, twinfleaf, bloodroot, trout lily, Jacob's ladder, Virginia bluebells, rue anemone, meadow rue, Dutchman's breeches, squirrel corn, corn salad, mayapple, dwarf larkspur, saxifrage and golden ragwort are in bloom in my woods right now. Probably more as well that I haven't spotted yet... and definitely several more to come.

But please don't pick wildflowers - it is illegal on most public lands to pick wildflowers, as some varieties are endangered or rare, so unless you are on private property with the property owner's knowledge and permission, take or draw pictures or just enjoy these fleeting beauties as they are, where they are - and leave them to set seed for next year's season (it takes up to seven years for wakerobin [red trillium] to reach maturity and bloom).

It's good to hear these flower names again because they remind me of a garden I used to have. It was a shade garden and I ended up planting mostly native wild flowers. Luckily there was a perennial farm not too far away and they sold most of the above mentioned plants. They must have propagated their own so it felt like a good thing to be doing, planting more and preserving plants that might become endangered. (My favorite was the Dutchman's Breeches.)

[PJSaturn]

Originally Posted by in_newengland

It's good to hear these flower names again because they remind me of a garden I used to have. It was a shade garden and I ended up planting mostly native wild flowers. Luckily there was a perennial farm not too far away and they sold most of the above mentioned plants. They must have propagated their own so it felt like a good thing to be doing, planting more and preserving plants that might become endangered. (My favorite was the Dutchman's Breeches.)

Oh, I love Dutchman's Breeches!

Our state DNR has a wildflower sale each spring at the Indiana Dunes State Park, about 20 minutes from my home. Some of the native NWIN plants they have are trillium, spiderwort, jack-in-the-pulpit, columbine and dunes cactus. They also sell trees and ornamental grasses, all native to the area. Until about 5 years ago, I had no idea that any cacti were native to NWIN and are hardy to well below zero. There's always something new to learn.


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[TN Tin Man]

Planting wild flowers in the median it's eye appealing for the tourist. It promotes a healthier echo system and saves the state dollars from mowing the area. And erosion control. Slows vehicles down during a crash.