Of course I have no real evidence and didn’t bother with researching known facts and besides, when did that ever stop anyone from making assertions, but here in North Florida, after all the beautiful early spring wildflowers in yellow, purple, red, blue, orange and more red, after all those have blossomed and faded, white rules.
The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge where we amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns. We invite you to share in the comments what you see in your own part of the world.
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May 2018
Was that too long for an opening sentence? It's how I was taught to write long before the internet shortened time and words and therefore, thought. Now I do brevity. Yeah but it's also fun to edit and trim one’s writings, to find the best word that relays what you want to say, to encapsulate the essence of each thought, to be slyly humorous. Oh wait, that takes too long, especially when your thumbs are typing ahead.
Anyways, I'll stick with my observation that we have lots of white wildflowers, more than other colors, as spring ends and summer starts. And starting with my woods, here's proof!
...edit. I forgot this Oakleaf Hydrangea, a transplant from the city yard of PH where it was absolutely miserable — hot, dry, too barren, no green neighbors. These typically grow on the edges of ravines where nothing else can get a foothold.
This Spanish Bayonet planted a few years ago is way over my head and about 3’ wide. I sure do know how to grow them. A common landscape plant is to the right — Ligustrum. It had white flowers but I already whacked them off rather than have the seeds spread around the woods. A smaller-leafed Ligustrum species we call Privet is highly invasive in the Southeast.
Orchids up next...
and something from the bottom of the hill
Gholson Nature Park, Chattahoochee FL
Northwest Georgia — my halfway point between SW VA and N FL, a shortcut off the shortcut as I work my way over to US-27. Some prefer the Interstate and apparently love stopping on I-275 around Atlanta with the other 5 lanes of traffic — stopped for either the constant construction of one more lane or another traveler sacrificed to the gods of “getting there before you.”
Grey Branch Rd, Rural Retreat VA
Probably missing a few more white flowers around my woods. Beggar ticks (Bidens alba) has white flowers but I pulled up most of them since they spread so fast. Never fear as it will always come back — the tiniest sprig of root left behind will be 2’ tall in a month. And Finger-rot (Cnidoscolus stimulosus) has been flowering for a month now but I don’t wanna touch that…
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Well alright, I took a break and wandered around outside, chopped back a lot of weeds and vines and took more photos. Here’s the Finger-rot - I was wearing gloves when I took the closeup, almost touching it just so you can see the fine hairs.
Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron) has white flowers with a tinge of purple — 100s of them up the hill in the sun. OK, it’s got yellow with the white...
Not quite open but this understory shrub is excellent this year with a half-dozen white 3” umbels.
and finally, not a native plant but it was here when I moved in and after digging up 2 overgrown bushes I now have a dozen overgrown bushes. Gardenia makes a good screen from the neighbors!
Ok, that’s it! I proved that late spring / early summer wildflowers in my neck of the woods are primarily white at this time of the time. So what’s going on around you? Any white flowers? See ya in the comments!
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