Tall Goldenrod |
So consider this a short tour of the ditches alongside the road. Of course, this time of year, Goldenrod is everywhere. My plant identification is suspect as always, especially here given the number of native Goldenrods, but I believe the photos above and left are of Tall Goldenrod, Solidago altissima, although it could be Canadian Goldenrod, the former being a subspecies of the latter.
Heliathus annuus. I'm not anywhere near certain of the species name for this specimen, and I wouldn't have a clue at all without the marvelous kswildflower.org website.
There is a lot of White Sage, Artemsia ludoviciana. on the walk, everywhere in the adjacent prairie, its hairy-gray leaves befitting a plant adapted to drought and grazing.
Brickellia eupatoriopiodes, or False Boneset, is likewise a very frequent visitor to these hills, blooming in the worst of drought and leaving behind an interesting winter skeleton. It's taproot is said to reach 16 feet in depth when necessary.
Nearly last, but certainly not least, clumps of the the most "garden-worthy" of the prairie plants, Dotted Gayfeather, Liatris punctata, "dots" the prairie with low light purple spires. Butterflies love this plant, and often are above it in a swarm.
Wax Goldenweed |
And that is a walk down my late-September road everyone. Not as literary-worthy as Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods, but its none-the-less my own little "Walk Down the Road with Bella."