Growing up, I didn’t much like hiking. To me, the point of walking was to get from one place to another as fast as possible. I’m sure it didn’t help that I had four brothers and sisters to remind me that anything could be a contest, and my younger sister was very vocal about how wearisome the whole enterprise was. But my father, who raised us by himself after my mother died, saw hiking not as exercise but as an opportunity to observe. He stopped to examine moss, to point out the behavior of a bird, to comment on a diseased tree, to note the history of where we were.*

Clearly, I’ve come to see Dad’s point. This blog is, to some degree, a response to him. He provided me with most of my field guides, which I now keep readily available on an end table in my living room so that I can refer to them as I write.  I’ve only recently come to appreciate Peterson’s A Field Guide to Wildflowers of Northeastern and North-central North America (Houghton Mifflin Co., 1968). He makes unique specimens of waste and weeds, and I’ve learned that there are still lots of native species among all of the invasive aliens that thrive on the banks of the Monocacy.

My education is just beginning, and I cordially invite you to join me.  Since we’re starting in the spring, we’ll be able to follow the seasons from the beginning.

*Where we were? Lots and lots of Civil War battlefields. This is Maryland, after all. 

(If you’re interested in the Peterson Guide, you can find it here: //ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=trashonthemon-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0395911729&asins=0395911729&linkId=f6801efac9900c69015b49a6b9cbc5ea&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff)

Monocacy Wildlowers:

Persian Speedwell (alien) (Persica veronica)

Hairy Bittercress (alien) (Cardamine hirsuta)

 

Lesser Celandine (alien) (Ranunculus ficaria)

Lesser Celandine (alien) (Ranunculus ficaria), among Spring-beauties and Virginia Bluebells

 

Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)

Virginia (or Eastern) Spring-Beauty (Claytonia virginica)

Marsh Blue Violet (Viola cucullata)

Common Blue Violet (Viola papilonacea)

Virginia Cowslip (a.k.a. Virginia Bluebells) (Mertensia virginica)

Purple Dead-nettle (alien) (Lamium purpureum)

Roadside Pennycress (Thlaspi alliaceum)

Garlic Mustard (alien) (Alliara officinalis)

Common Dandelion (alien) (Taraxacum officinale)

Water Chickweed (alien) (Myosoton aquaticum)

Common Groundsel (alien) (Senecio vulgaris)

Gill-over-the-ground (alien) (Glechoma hederacea)

Henbit deadnettle, Giraffeheads (alien) (Lamium amplexicaule)

 

Kidneyleaf (Littleleaf) Buttercup (Ranunculus abortivus)

Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum)

Common Chickweed (alien) (Stellaria media), with Dead Nettle

Shepherd’s Purse (alien) (Capsella bursa-pastoris), with dead-nettle

Toadshade (Trillium sessile)

Field Pennycress (alien) (Thlapsi arvense)

Lewiston Cornsalad (Valerianella locusta)

Bitter Wintercress (alien) (Barbarea vulgaris)

Common (or Philadelphia) Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus)

Sweet Cicely (Osmorhiza claytoni)

Bulbous Buttercup (alien) (Ranunculus bulbosa)

Dame’s Rocket (alien) (Hesperis matronalis)

Pawpaw tree blossom (Asimina triloba)

Cleavers (Gallium aparine)

 

Striped White Violet, Cream Violet (Viola striata)

 

Mayweed (alien) (Anthemis cotula)

Storksbill (alien) (Erodium circularium)

 

Cut-leaved Cranesbill (alien) (Geranium dissectum)

 

Milk-vetch (Astragalus)

Yellow Wood-sorrel (Oxalis europaea)

Japanese Honeysuckle (alien) (Lonicera japonica)

Indian Strawberry (alien) (Duchesnea indica)

Peppergrass (Lepidium)

Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron annuus)

Common Buttercup (alien) (Ranunculus acris)

Empress Tree blossoms (alien) (Paulownia tomentosa)

Vetchling (Lathyrus palustris)

Star-of-Bethlehem (alien) (Ornithogalum umbellatum)

Poison Hemlock (alien) (Conium maculatum)

Red Clover (alien) (Trifolium pratense)

White Clover (alien) (Trifolium repens)

Yellow Cress (Rorippa islandica)

Rose (Rosa multifloria)

Ox-eye Daisy (alien) (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum)

Virginia Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum)

Yarrow (alien) (Achillea millefolium)

Poison Ivy (Taxicodendron radicans)

Sheep Sorrel (alien) (Rumex acetosella)

Black Snakeroot (Sanicula marilandica)

Hop Clover (alien) (Trifolium agrarium)

Smaller Hop Clover (alien) (Trifolium procumbens)

Least Hop Clover (alien) (Trifolium dubium)

Lesser Stitchwort (alien) (Stellaria graminea)

Common Cinquefoil (Potentilla simplex)

English Plantain (alien) (Plantago lanceolata)

Morning Star (or Gray’s) Sedge (Carex grayi)

Rough Bedstraw (Galium asprellum)

Dogbane (Apocynum)

Pale Touch-me-not (Impatiens pallida)

Musk Thistle (alien) (Carduus nutans)

Mild Water-pepper (Polygonum hydropiperoides)

Crown Vetch, Axseed (alien) (Coronilla varia)

Curly Dock (alien) (Rumex crispus)

Japanese Hops (alien) (humulus japonicus)

Honewart (Cryptotaenia candensis)

Lance-leaved Coreopsis, Tickseed (Coreopsis lanceolata)

Common Speedwell (Veronica officinalis)

Jimsonweed (alien) (Datura stramonium)

Water-willow (Justicia americana)

Galinsoga (alien) (Galinsoga ciliata)

Common (Black) Nightshade (alien) (Solanum nigrum)

Common Nightshade, unripened berries

Stinging Nettle (alien) (Urtica dioica)

Deptford Pink (alien) (Dianthus armeria)

 

Field Garlic (alien) (Allium vineale)

Bur-reed (Sparganium)

White Avens (Geum canadense)

Spotted Touch-me-not, Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)

Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

Arrow Arum (Peltandra virginica)

Heal-all, Selfheal (alien) (Prunella vulgaris)

Horse-Nettle (Solanum carolinense)

Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana)

Moneywort (alien) (Lysimachia nummularia)

Hedge Bindweed (Convolvulus sepium)

Common Plantain (alien) (Plantago major)

Cleavers (see above) seed pods (Galium aparine)

Queen Anne’s Lace (alien) (Daucus carota)

Panicled Aster (Aster simplex)

Canada Thistle (alien) (Cirsium arvense)

Teasel (alien) (Dipsacus sylvestris)

Fool’s Parsley (alien) (Aethusa cynapium)

Germander, Wood-sage (Teucrium canadense)

Mile-a-Minute (alien) (Persicaria perfoliata)

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

Welted Thistle (alien) (Carduus crispus)

Hedge Mustard (alien) (Sisymbrium officinale)

St. Johnswort (Hypericum), possibly Dwarf (mutilum)

Field Bindweed (alien) (Convolvulus arvensis)

Catnip (alien) (nepata cataria)

Asiatic Dayflower (alien) (Commelina communis)

Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata)

Mistflower (Eupatorium coelestinum)

Sharp-winged Monkey-flower (Mimulus alatus)

Water-stargrass (heteranthera dubia)

Creeping Primrose-willow (Jussiaca repens)

Chinese Bush Clover (alien) (Lespedeza cuneata)

Common Woolgrass (Scirpus cyperinus)

Swamp Smartweed (polygonum coccineum)

Indian-tobacco (Lobelia inflata)

Wild Potato Vine (Ipomoea pandurata)

Moth Mullein (alien) (Verbascum blattaria)

Scarlet Pimpernel (alien) (Anagallis arvensis)

Lance-leaved Goldenrod (Solidago graminifolia)

Purslane (alien) (Portulaca oleracea)

Common Burdock (alien) (Arctium minus)

Yellow Ironweed (Wingstem) (Verbesina alternifolia) (formerly Actinomeris alternifolia)

Common Cattail (Typha latifolia)

White Vervain (Verbena urticifolia)

New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis)

Evening Primrose (Oenethra, probably biennis)

Butter-and-Eggs, Toadflax  (alien) (Linaria vulgaris)

Common Morning Glory (alien) (Ipomoea purpurea)

Steeplebush (Spiraea tomentosa)

Chicory (alien) (Chichorium intybus)

Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)

Bur-Cucumber (Sicyos angulatus)

Pale Smartweed (Polygonum lapathifolium)

Beggar-ticks (Bidens frondosa)

Small White Morning Glory (Ipomoea lacunosa)

Ivy-leaved Morning Glory (alien) (Ipomoea hederacea)

Hog-Peanut (Amphicarpa bracteata)

Tickseed Sunflower (Bidens aristosa)

A very tattered Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)

Thoroughwort (Eupatorium, perhaps rugosum)

Lowrie’s Aster (Aster lowrieanus)

Climbing False Buckwheat (alien) (Polygonum scandens)

Curled Mint (Mentha crispa)

Lady’s Thumb (alien) (Polygonum persicaria)

Frost Aster (Symphyotrichum pilosum)?

Bushy Aster (Aster dumosus)?

Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale)

Corn Speedwell (alien) (Veronica arvensis)

Yellow Cress (Rorippa islandica)

Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus)

Bur Marigold (Bidens laevis)