Green in Winter: Rough Goldenrod

This goldenrod, probably Solidago rugosa, was found near the edge of degraded woods on sandy soil. Photographed in LaPorte County, Indiana on January 5, 2013.  

Plant Quiz - Too Easy

I recently posted the following plant quiz...

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Name that plant...

Photo taken in September in northcentral Indiana.  Good luck, and happy new year!

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Too easy, I guess. Keith quickly correctly identified the plant above as Solidago flexicaulis. Nice call, Keith!

Who says you can't identify asters and goldenrods vegetatively?! 

Solidago sempervirens

One of the most attractive goldenrods in the Chicago region, Solidago sempervirens, just happens to be introduced from the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.

For more information on this species and others that grow in the salty areas along our highways, see my recent post at Through Handlens and Binoculars.

Goldenrods, Asters, a thistle and some bugs!

The halcyon days of early autumn have yielded many delightful hours in the field. Here are a few recent photos. Please help identify the bugs!

Fen Thistle, Cirsium muticum, looking like a fireworks display, only cleaner, quieter, and far better-smelling. Have you experienced the tactile wonder of the involucre on this plant?

Riddell's Goldenrod, Solidago riddellii, with a Buckeye butterfly. This is one of the few butterflies that will hold still for a photo.
Riddell's Goldenrod, Solidago riddellii, with what appears to be a Chinese Mantid eating a hornet. It's a gruesome spectacle as that thing has a bunch of mouthparts wiggling around as it aggressively devours its prey.


Shining Aster, Aster puniceus var. firmus with some unknown bug wearing an elegant fur coat. PETA would be outraged.

Shining Aster, Aster puniceus var. firmus, with what appears to be an American Hover Fly.


Fen Thistle, Cirsium muticum, with a Silver Spotted Skipper.


"I leave the towns behind and I am lost in some boundless heath, and life becomes gradually more tolerable, if not even glorious." Henry David Thoreau

Numerous Plant Quizzes - Annotated Photo

I recently posted the following photograph from Round Lake in Starke County, Indiana as a plant quiz and asked for identification of as many species as possible.


I've labeled the plants that I was able to ID from the photo and my memory of the site. You'll probably need to click on the photo to expand it to see the answers and the plants they are denoting. The key to the answers is below...

A – Solidago graminifolia v. nuttallii (Euthamia graminifolia)
B – Scirpus pungens (Schoenoplectus pungens)
C – Pycnanthemum virginianum
D – Eupatorium maculatum (Eupatoriadelphus maculatus)
E – Potentilla fruticosa (Dasiphora fruticosa)
F – Lysimachia quadriflora
G – Dryopteris thelypteris v. pubescens (Thelypteris palustris v. pubescens)
H – Rosa palustris?
I – Juncus dudleyi
J – Calamagrostis canadensis?
K – Eupatorium perfoliatum
L – Aster novae-angliae
M – Solidago riddellii (Oligoneuron riddellii)
N – Carex sterilis
O – Typha sp.

I don't see Onoclea sensibilis, Carex brunnescens (maybe this was guessed for Carex sterilis?), or Rudbeckia hirta (maybe this was guessed for the yellow composite in the background, which I think may be a Helianthus?), which were all suggested.

Pretty sharp group we have here! There were very few plants that I was able to identify from the photo and my memory of the site that were not identified by the group. Thanks for all of your comments.