Bees and butterflies are finding plenty of nectar.

Although many of the flowers in our Butterfly Garden have died or are fading, there is still much beautiful color there.  Many bees and insects are enjoying these blooms, as are butterflies such as this Pearl Crescentspot and Fritillary.

 

Late flowers still showing color

Don't give up - there's still lots of color around Reflection Riding, especially yellow!  Fields of yellow are abundant along the lower road and on the short-cut exit toward the upper road.  There are many blooms still showing in the Butterfly Garden behind the education offices.  And along the way on any road you may see small patches of beautiful fall colors.

Blue-violet is a lovely color for October

Mistflower, of the aster family, can spread quickly and make a large bank or field of pretty violet flowers.  You may see butterflies or bees enjoying it.

 

Leafy Elephant's Foot, sometimes called Carolina Elephant's Foot, is another blue-violet flowe which may be seen on the Creek Road.  It has broad leaves, which may be the origin of its name.  There is an Elephant's Foot plant which is related to the palm tree and not related to this flower.

Yellow is the "in" color this week.

Goldenrod can be seen in huge patches of yellow almost everywhere right now.  Some have alleged that they are allergic to goldenrod, but it has an interesting and varied history: Native Americans chewed it to relieve sore throat and toothache. Famous inventors such as Thomas Edison and George Washington Carver experimented with goldenrod in attempts to produce rubber, ethanol, etc. In fact, Edison owned a T Model Ford with tires made of goldenrod-produced rubber. Its bright fall beauty has caused the state of Kentucky to name it the state flower and South Carolina its state sunflower.

 

 

The Woodland Sunflower is another yellow flower which can be seen mainly along the Creek Road.  Unlike other varieties of sunflower, it prefers partial shade and moist soil.

Is your heart bursting with love?

These beautiful crimson flowers are called "Hearts-a-Bursting," sometimes adding the words "with love."  They are so named because there are four to five bright red seed capsules which, when opened, reveal four to five shiny red berries, which remain attached to the plant for several weeks.  You can't miss one inflorescence of this plant as you walk into the visitors center office.  Look for more behind the office.  This flower is sometimes also called Strawberry Bush.

 

One of fall's most beautiful blooms is the aster, and you may see several varieties as you travel the upper road at Reflection Riding, especially near the Squincy Bird Cabin.

What is an arboretum?

An arboretum is simply an area with trees and shrubs. At Reflection Riding, we use the term more broadly: many acres of trees, shrubs, flowers, ponds, etc. As a Level 4 Arboretum, we have at least 150 trees identified. If you are interested in learning trees, now is a good time to start, before the leaves drop. A good way to start would be to walk on some of our roads or trails and find trees with identifying plaques. Take paper and pencil with you and make notes about the tree you are seeing: About how tall is it? What does the bark look like? What is the shape of the leaves? How do the leaves grow (two on opposite sides of a stem, alternating sides of the stem, etc.)? Are the edges of the leaves toothed, smooth, or -? Better still, sketch one or more leaves. You do not have to be an artist to do this.

Red Maple

Bitternut Hickory

More about our trees later

Fall in love with fall flowers.

Purple coneflowers and asters can be seen around Reflection Riding, such as near Squincy Bird Cabin and on the right side of the upper road as you near the exit near the barn.

Hurry, hurry, hurry before the wind blows them away!  Pilewort is blooming on the lower road and in a huge clump in the middle of the little garden at the end of the lower pond.  The inflorescence is a fragile white tuft, easily blown by the wind, leaving many stems with pods that look something like okra without the points.

 

More Late Summer Flowers

Jewel Weed is in full bloom near the caretaker's house. Hummingbirds love it. People sometimes call it Touch-Me-Not because if you gently touch a bloom, seeds will explode from it. The leaves have a shiny or jewel-like appearance when held under water; this may be how it got its name.

Yellow Partridge Peas are brightening the lower road before the bamboo stand and past it at the curve by the pines; and you can also see patches of it along the Creek Road amid the tickseed - look closely: it's yellow in yellow!

Mountain mint is blooming here and there on the upper road. Look for grayish-white blooms. This flower has sometimes been used for herbal tea.

A Bank of Pink Beauty!

Rose Mallow, which likes to live near water and is attractive to nectar lovers, is in full bloom next to the lower pond.

The Creek Road is full of color!

This is the time of year you must take a leisurely trip on the Creek Road, where you will see fields and fields of colorful flowers such as Purple Ironweed, and Tickseed Coreopsis.

Look closely, and you may see Yellow Oxalis, Leafy Elephant's Foor, and others such as the brilliant red Cardinal Flower.

 

Yellow blooms - always attractive!

St. John's Wort, to be seen along the entrance to the Creek Road or before the Siren Pool, has over-the-counter medicinal uses.

 

Decorative Seed Pods

Trees and flowering plants produce seed pods when they have finished blooming.  The seed pods of the Bladdernut dominate the shrub so much so that you may notice the pods before you are aware of the shrub itself, which is often used to define property lines and borders.  The pods may last well into winter. 

The Red Buckeye produces a kind of nut, which squirrels love, although they are poisonous to other animals and humans.  The seed pods of the Red Bud tree resemble beans you  might grow in your garden.  Those of the Magnolia are especially attractive; their appearance has been appropriated for various art works and furniture design.

Leaves of three - let it be!

Another vine, but one we don't like - don't let it bite you! And don't let its blooms and berries fool you in the spring. Learn to identify Poison Ivy and avoid it at all costs. If you are walking a road or path and stumble, be sure to fall on the road and not on the side where this vine may be growing - you'll be sorry!

Some Beautiful Flowers Grow on Vines

Look up – it's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's Crossvine! This beautiful vine is often found high in tree tops; so as you walk, look up and you may be rewarded. It is hardy and may climb as high as 50 feet. It has been seen in the trees near the Squincy Bird Cabin. The vine has “claws” at the end of its tendrils (modified leaves), allowing it to clasp tree limbs, fences, etc. without any support. Native Americans once used it as a remedy for various illnesses.

Crossvine is from the same family as Trumpet Vine (Trumpet Creeper.) There are still some blooming on the fence on the upper road at Reflection Riding.  Both Crossvine and Trumpet Vine are attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds and produce small seed pods when finished blooming.

Another flowering vine which most everyone is familiar with is the Morning Glory. Although there are over 1000 species of these flowering plants, and they occur in many colors, many white ones bloom along the Creek Road at this time. Their common name comes from the fact that they open in the morning and sometimes begin to fade and curl up by the end of the day.

Bees, Butterflies, and Birds all love it...

There is a bank of Spurred Butterfly Peas on the upper road across from the field.   Bees, butterflies, and birds all love it, and humans love it for its beauty.

Walk - don't run or drive!

Summer blooms are often not as profuse as spring ones.  Walk slowly, look closely for a spot of color, and you may be rewarded with seeing a single lovely flower.  You may see yellow Oxalis (it also occurs in pink), a tiny flower about the size of your pinkie fingernail.  When you see its leaves, you may think you are seeing clover leaves; but the blooms of oxalis looking nothing like clover.

Maypop, sometimes called Passion Flower, "may pop" up along the Creek Road; or you can see a few blooms near the Squincy Bird Cabin.  It is the Tennessee state flower.  Cherokee Indians called it "ocoee;" the Ocoee River and Ocoee area are named for it.

 Another beautiful but hard-to-spot bloom is the Dayflower.  Bees collect its pollen for themselves and unintentionally carry pollen on their feet to pollinate other flowers.  The generic name is commelina.  Its name has a humorous history:  The man naming it knew three men, all relatives, who were named Commelyn.  Two were hard workers; the third hadn't accomplished much.  So the two beautiful blue petals represent the two strong men; the lower white one is for the other man.

Don't overlook anything in nature!

A rock is never just a rock;

It is a living garden of itself!

Summer blooms all around!

Bottlebrush Buckeye is considered a tree but rarely grows to tree size. It is related to the red buckeye, which is slightly larger; both of these can be seen on the lower road near the bamboo stand and at other places. The blooms give way to nuts called buckeyes, which are poisonous to humans and cattle; but squirrels love them. The Ohio Buckeye is the state tree of Ohio, hence the nickname of the University.

Almost everyone is familiar with the many beautiful varieties of azaleas, and many people plant them in their yards for decoration. In Philp's Garden at Reflection Riding, Sringtime is showy with splashes of various colors of azaleas. At least one Flame Azalea still blooms there today.

Rosinweed is a member of the Aster family. Ancients prized its juice as a medicine and used it dried as a condiment. The birds love its seeds. Make the curve past the Siren Pool and see it growing on the right side of the road; or hurry to the Visitors Center and see one growing in a pot, ready for you to buy to enhance your own garden.

A moment to reflect:

The outdoors isn't an escape from real life; it's the basis for it.

Every petal matters

He loves me, he loves me not...

The Oxeye Daisy, sometimes called Moon Daisy, Dog Daisy, even Common Daisy,  has 20 or more petals, thus making it ideal for the old game of pulling off one petal at a time, the last one telling whether he or she loves you or not.  

This flower is prolific and spreads rapidly when left alone.  However, if you are a farmer, you may not want it in your pasture, as cows will not eat it, allowing it to multiply more rapidly.

 

Is this flower a daisy?  It is Fleabane, often called Daisy Fleabane.  

The name fleabane comes from an old belief that this flower dried repels fleas.  

This roadside flower is often confused with the very similar Robin's Plantain. Both may be white or pinkish; and as the blooms are so much smaller than those of Oxeye Daisy, the petals are basically uncountable.  Like some other flowers, for instance Oakleaf Hydrangea, they may turn pink at the end of their bloom time. 

"All God's children got wings..."

Nature's small creatures love our Arboretum. Alongside the pond and at other places on the property you may see butterflies, such as this fritillary on Butterfly Weed.

 

Bees and their cousins enjoy the same flowers that butterflies do. This bee is finding nectar on Mountain Mint in our butterfly garden.

You may also see several varieties of dragonflies, such as this blue Spangled Skimmer with the beautiful transparent wings, always found near water, here at our lower pond.  The white spots with black tips on  its wings are called stigmas.