31 July 2021
In late July field flowers bloom while others develop seeds.
The photo at top of oxeye or false sunflowers (Heliopsis helianthoides) was supposed to be a documentation photo so I could study the leaves. Can you find the milkweed bug on one of the flowers?
Blue vervain (Verbena hastata) is blooming at Presque Isle State Park where I took this photo on Wednesday. Vervain flowers are so small that the plant looks boring from afar. It is well worth a closer look.
On Thursday Charity Kheshgi and I explored the grassland top of the slag heap at Nine Mile Run. In one area the slag is so porous that rainwater percolates straight though it, creating a desert habitat. Nonetheless we found a vibrant orange butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) in bloom.
Namesake plant: Dwarf St. John’s wort (Hypericum mutilum) is native to North America.
Seeds! Redbud trees (Cercis canadensis) in the city parks have a bumper crop of seed pods this year.
Nodding thistle (Carduus nutans) has gone to seed along the lower Nine Mile Run Trail where it looked like this in June (click here). We saw many American goldfinches feeding on these natural thistle feeders.
Today is our last chance to enjoy July. The weather is lovely in Pittsburgh so get outdoors.
(photos by Kate St. John)