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Viewing wildflowers isn't just for the spring
I asked my wife Eileen what they were and she told me they were Butterfly Weed.
Growing in isolated clumps in the middle of the green and brown fields, the Butterfly Weed stuck out like the fabled Petunia in an onion patch.
A member of the milkweed family, the butterfly weed is one of the few bright orange flowers I can think of.
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This is natural, because it is in the spring when nature's wildflower display is at its best, and the weeds haven't hid the low-growing plants from eyesight.
To be visible in the summer, a wildflower must be tall.
That is the case with the Butterfly Weed. This wildflower gets its name from the butterflies that are attracted to it. It is also called the Pleurisy Root, which comes from native Americans chewing it to cure Pleurisy.
This medicinal use is not uncommon among native wild plants.
A well-known example is the parasitic Foxglove from which Digitalis is extracted. Digitalis is a heart medicine.
Another flower that can be seen in many hayfields and pastures is a tall purple flower called an Ironweed.
Most people probably don't pay much attention to it, which happens with common wildflowers. We tend to ignore them.
Just the other day, my granddaughter asked me why it is called the Ironweed.
The name comes from the toughness of the stem. If you try to pick one, you'll need a penknife or clippers.
They don't come easily, but are common in Washington and Greene county pastures and bottom lands.
I was once clamoring over big rocks along the Youghiogheny River near Ohiopyle when I found myself in a large stand of bright red flowers.
I instantly knew that I was in a huge stand of Bee Balm, which is sometimes called Oswego Tea.
I don't often see the brilliant red flowers so close to home, so I really appreciated the sight. I climbed back over the rocks to get Eileen, hoping I hand't disturbed a rattlesnake.
I believe every Bee Balm I have ever seen has been close to water and they are not hard to spot. Bee Balm is a member of the mint family.
A summer flower with an interesting background in the moisture-loving Joe-Pye Weed. Almost everyone reading this has seen a Joe-Pye Weed at some point.
This weed, with the pinkish cluster of flowers, grows where creeks go under the road in the spring.
The purplish stem is a dead give away, but the interesting thing about the Joe-Pye is how it got its strange name.
Folklore tells us that a native American named Joe-Pye used this plant to treat fever in early settlers and also treated Typhus with this plant.
Have you ever seen 10 to 20 goldfinches on a group of pink flowers?
If you have, you are looking at a bunch of Thistle Plants. Few sights draw more attention than finches on thistles.
While the Bull Thistle is adorned with beautiful pink and lavender flowers, this plant is a touch-me-not.
Its spines could impale a mouse and in the fall, the air is filled with white fluffy seed pods floating all over. These Santa Claus-like pods come from the thistle.
I can only guess why the goldfinches are attracted to the Bull Thistle, but it is probably for the seeds.
The thistle is common along roadsides and there is another yellow-colored flower that likes the waste soil along the berm, the spike-like Butter and Eggs.
This sweet-nectared plant is well known for attracting moths and other flying creatures. I have transplanted some in my yard and found it to be prolific. I'm not sure I should have done that, but it is a pretty wildflower.
Of course, I have barely touched on summer wildflowers here. Fields can be white with Queen Anne's Lace and similar-looking Yarrow can be seen in bad soil.
Sunflowers cover the hillsides in some areas, brightening the landscape, while the smallish and toxic Night Shade can be seen growing in open fields.
I know August is not the flower season, but they are there to be seen if you are looking.
George H. Block writes a Sunday Outdoors column for the Observer-Reporter
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