Buffalo-Bur

Buffalo-Bur (Solanum rostratum), growing in a planter box on Broadway Street near Lucas Ave., downtown St. Louis, Missouri.   Photos taken Oct. 26, 2014.

Link to Solanum rostratum:

Link to Solanum rostratum:

Link to Solanum rostratum:

Nodding Ladies' Tresses orchid

This is a Spiranthes cernua, also known as Nodding Ladies' Tresses. We found it at Weiler-Leopold Nature Reserve, in the oak savanna area to the south of the prairie area. This is the first time I'd noticed this orchid at Weiler-Leopold. The photo was taken Oct. 4, 2014. A few years ago I observed Spiranthes cernua in the woods at Celery Bog Park. There is a photo of this orchid on display in the nature center there. I went back to Celery Bog Park on Oct. 7, thinking I could find Spiranthes cernua again, but failed to find it there.

The presence of orchids is also a display of fungus that we don't necessarily see. Orchids require fungus to reproduce. The seed of the orchid does not contain a food source for the new sprout, it gets its nutrition from a fungus in the soil that surrounds the new plant. Orchid seeds are tiny, like dust, because of this.

Link to Spiranthes cernua:

Link to Weiler-Leopold Nature Reserve:

Link to orchids and fungus:

Another link to orchids and fungus:

Another link to orchids and fungus:

Carrion flower

In the woods at Celery Bog Park, this plant is one of the non-prickly stemmed species of Smilax called carrion flower. A couple of clusters of black berries are visible in the photo. Photo taken Sept. 16, 2014.

Link to carrion flower:

Water smartweed

I think this might be water smartweed (Persicaria amphibia), just from looking at the photo.  I didn't wade into the water to get a really good look at it.  This is near the north observation deck on the west side of Coot Slough at Celery Bog Park.  The  water level is high and these plants are standing in about 3-6 inches of water.  Note the leaves are wider and flowering heads are wider and more erect than other smartweeds in this area.  A synonym is Polygonum amphibium.  Photos taken Sept. 16, 2014.

A photo of the smartweed showing the standing-water habitat. Smartweed in the middle of the photo. Open water is past the upper right of the photo.

Link to FNA treatment of Persicaria amphibia:

Link to Persicaria amphibia:

Link to Persicaria amphibia:

Bidens aristosa

I am tentatively calling this Bidens aristosa from trying to ID it from these pictures.  This is at the edge of the constructed pond at the far end of the road going through Prophetstown State Park.  I was not prepared for the considerable cold wet rain coming down that day and me and my field guide got soaked.  According to Kay Y's Field Guide to Indiana Wildflowers, Bidens aristosa is synoymous with Bidens polylepis, but some references separate them according to the longer involucral bracts of Bidens polylepis. 

Pictures taken Sept. 10, 2014.

Link to Bidens aristosa:

Link to Bidens aristosa:

Link to Bidens polylepis:

Wabash River at Lafayette, Sept. 7, 2014

Wabash River looking upstream from the pedestrian bridge at Lafayette, Sept. 7, 2014.

Link to Wabash River levels:

Boneset and Blue Lobelia

The white flowers are boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) and the blue flowers are blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica).  I found this in the ditch just east of the new highway US 231 that was built  just west of West Lafayette, just a short distance north of the State Road 26 intersection.

Link to previous post on Eupatorium perfoliatum:

Link to previous post on Lobelia siphilitica:

A goldenrod soldier beetle (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus) on the boneset flowers.

Link to goldenrod soldier beetle

Link to goldenrod soldier beetle:

Link to goldenrod soldier beetle:

Pictures taken Sept. 1, 2014.