Indian Creek Wildflowers

Wildflower web sites of interest to aid in identifying wildflowers:
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info
http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries
http://www.missouriwildflowerguide.com

There are several different habitats in Indian Creek and different types of wildflowers will be found in each.

• The Nature Area is very wooded and most areas are fully shaded, but it also has many trails which will receive some filtered sun or an hour or two of sun each day.  It floods each spring, sometimes for several days.

• The ditches along Eastwood Court and Candle Ridge road have more hours of sun but some parts still have partial shade, and of course, additional water when it rains.  They are never cut.

• The wooded yards along Bent Tree Lane have full shade, but are drier than the Nature Area, and do not flood in the spring.  They are not generally cut.

• The country roads around the Indian Creek subdivision are in full sun, and are cut only a few times a year, allowing wild flowers to grow between cuttings.

Note: the months noted below are the months that the plant can be found flowering.

Toothwort
Dentaria laciniata
 

Toothwort gets its name from its leaves, which have edges that look like ragged teeth. Toothwort blooms from February to May statewide in Illinois woodlands

White Trout Lily
Erythronium albidum

The white trout lily is commonly called the white dog-tooth violet.   Habitats include moist to mesic deciduous woodlands and gentle slopes in wooded areas. An abundance of this plant indicates that a woodlands has never been subjected to the plow or bulldozed over. White Trout Lily is one of the spring wildflowers that is threatened by the spread of Garlic Mustard in wooded areas.  White Trout Lily usually blooms a little earlier than other spring wildflowers in woodlands; this blooming period is short, and immature plants that don't bloom always outnumber mature plants.
 

Virginia Bluebell
Mertensia virginica

Bluebells are named after the appearance of their flower. This plant blooms from March through May in moist woodlands throughout Illinois, especially in semi-shaded floodplain areas along rivers. Because of the attractive flowers and foliage, it is cultivated occasionally in flower gardens.  The foliage dies down by mid-summer.   In Indian Creek in the springtime, bluebells form a carpet of blue throughout the woods along the creek bed.

Blue Violet
Viola pratincola

This native violet is the Illinois state flower. The leaves are nutritious and can be used in salads and cooked as greens.  The flowers may be used in candies and jellies.  The purple to blue flowers of the blue violet may be seen blooming in every Illinois county from March to May in damp woods, moist meadows, and roadsides. 

Some species of ants harvest and "plant'' the ripe seeds, which contain a covering of attractive oils and possibly sugars. The ants carry the seeds, sometimes as far as 70 yards, to their nests where they consume the little treat. The shell, however, is too hard to open, so the ant discards the seed proper, often in an unused tunnel in the nest. Here, amid nutrients provided by the soil and accidentally by the housecleaning ants, the seed has a much better chance of producing a plant than does one dropped on the forest floor where it may be eaten by foraging birds and rodents.

Spring Beauty
Claytonia virginica

This common plant, found throughout Illinois, has small pink or white flower petals marked with pink veins. Spring Beauties like light and close at night and in dark weather.  Native Americans, pioneers, and wildlife dug and ate the tubers and nibbled the thick green leaves. Spring beauty blooms in woodlands, fields and older residential areas from March through May. 

Dandelion

Taraxacum officinale

The common Dandelion came to North America as a garden plant.  The leaves may be eaten fresh or cooked, and the roots can be cooked.  A wine made from the heads was once said to bring summer into the house during even the worst blizzard.  Now a mostly unloved weed, the Dandelion blooms from March to Septembers in fields, roadsides, and lawns.

This early buttercup is found in open and dry upland woods and roadsides. 

The foliage of Ranunculus spp. (Buttercups) is more or less toxic and avoided by mammalian herbivores. However, their seeds are eaten to a limited extent by the Wild Turkey, Cottontail Rabbit, Fox Squirrel, Gray Squirrel, Eastern Chipmunk, and Meadow Vole. The Wild Turkey also browses on the foliage of Buttercups, notwithstanding its toxicity.  

Swamp Buttercup
Ranunculus septentrionalis

Swamp Buttercup is a common plant that occurs in most counties of Illinois. Habitats include moist to mesic deciduous woodlands, soggy areas along vernal pools, swamps, partially shaded areas of seeps, and edges of woodland springs.  The preference is partial sun to light shade, slightly wet to mesic conditions, and a fertile loamy soil with some leaf mould. Standing water from spring rain is tolerated if it is temporary

Dutchman’s Breeches
Dicentra cucullaria
 

Dutchman's breeches has blossoms that resemble breeches or trousers.  Dutchman's breeches grow statewide in Illinois in original woodland that has never been plowed under or bulldozed over.  Because the seeds have elaisomes (fleshy or oily appendages), they are distributed by ants. Ants carry the seeds to their nests, eat the elaisomes, and discard the seeds some distance from the mother plant.   Its white flowers appear in April and May.

Garlic Mustard
Alliaria petiolata

Garlic Mustard is an invasive non-native (exotic) plant originally from Europe, North Africa, and Asia. This biennial herb invades forested natural areas dominating the ground layer and is a severe threat to native species.  The first season, it has low-growing clusters of leaves with jagged edges. It stays green much of the winter. In the spring of its second year, it sends up a slender, 12- to 30-inch stalk bearing small white flowers. The plant dies at the end of the second summer, but its seeds remain viable for up to six years. Dominant through their prolific seed production, dense growth and by casting shade that weakens native plants, non-native invasive plants should be destroyed when seen.  Garlic mustard can be pulled by hand or cut at soil level and treated with herbicide.  It is best to kill this biennial plant before it can cast its seeds.   

Trillium (Wake Robin)
Trillium recurvatum

The trillium is also called Wake Robin because it blooms when the robins are returning to their summer habitats. Various species have been used by Native Americans in many ways: for food, to alleviate ailments, as an aphrodisiac, and to bring ill-fortune to an enemy.  It has three petals, three sepals and three leaves and blooms in shady woodlands from April to June.

Mayapple
Podophyllum peltatum

The Mayapple first appears as a green, pointed spear thrusting up out of the woodland floor. As it grows taller, the wide leaves unfurl. A colony of the plants can cover the ground when in full leaf. The large, white flower is hidden beneath the leaves. The ripe, golden yellow fruits of the Mayapple are edible when fully ripe and are sometime used to make interesting jelly, but the rest of the plant is poisonous.  The root was once used for medicinal purposes, and the plant is sometimes called Mandrake because of the superstitiously feared, but also medicinally valued true Mandrake from the Old Word.  Mayapple blooms from April to June

Dwarf Larkspur occurs occasionally in the southern half of Illinois, preferring woodlands and rocky slopes.  In Europe Larkspurs have been used for a variety of medical uses including to help close wounds. The main use of the plant has long been to kill human parasites, especially lice and their nits (eggs). It was used by Wellington's troops at Waterloo and by Union soldiers during the American Civil War.  It is is extremely poisonous to cattle.  

 

English Plantain is a common plant that occurs in every county of Illinois. It is native to Eurasia. Habitats include lawns, cracks in pavement, vacant lots, fallow fields, and roadsides. It prefers disturbed areas and has not invaded natural areas to any significant extent.

 

This is a very common plant that occurs throughout Illinois. It can be found occasionally in open disturbed areas of prairies, sometimes as an invader from more developed sites, such as lawns. Other natural habitats include disturbed areas of meadows in woodlands, woodland borders, and clay banks along streams. In more developed areas, where this plant is ubiquitous, it can be found in lawns, gardens, and vacant lots, or areas along roadsides, railroads, sidewalks, gravelly driveways and alleys. This plant thrives on disturbance and cannot tolerate much competition from taller plants with highly developed root systems.  This plant is widely regarded as an unattractive weed, but its ecological value, particularly to small animals and moths, is rather high.


 

Yellow Rocket is a common plant that occurs in most counties of Illinois. It is native to Eurasia. Habitats include cropland, fallow fields, vacant lots, construction sites, gardens, moist meadows, areas along roadsides and railroads, and waste areas. The blooming period occurs from mid-spring to early summer and lasts about a month (peaking during late spring).

Ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea), also known as creeping Charlie and creeping Jenny, is a low-growing perennial weed that thrives in moist, shady areas of the lawn and garden, but will invade sunny areas, too, if the lawn is thin. The four-sided stems grow to lengths of 15-30 inches with roots forming at the nodes, where leaves join the stem. Its leaves resemble those of the common geranium, round and scalloped, but are much smaller in size. In the early spring an abundance of tiny, lavender to blue flowers appear on 2 or 3-inch spikes.

Ground Ivy is an important source of nectar during the spring for bees. Otherwise, its ecological value is rather low.  The blooming period usually occurs from mid-spring to early summer for about 2 months, although some plants may bloom later in the year if they remain in cool shade or a major disturbance prevents earlier bloom.

Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricatus

Woodland phlox is a spreading, native wildflower which forms mats of foliage with stems typically reaching 12-15" tall. As the common name suggests, this is a woodland species which occurs in rich woods, fields and along streams in the southern three-fourths of Illinois. Its sweet smelling light purple flowers appear from May through June.

Virginia Waterleaf occurs occasionally in central and northern Illinois blooms from mid-May to early June. Habitats include mesic deciduous woodlands, areas along woodland paths, wooded slopes along rivers, and edges of clearings in wooded areas. Its leaves are sometimes used as edible greens in southeastern United States. 
 

Solomon's Seal

Polygonatum commutatum

Solomon's Seal appears throughout Illinois in woodland and fencerows that are overgrown with shrubs or trees, in light shade to partial sun.  The blooming period occurs during late spring or early summer and lasts about 3 weeks. Each flower is replaced by a spheroid berry that is about 1/3–1/2" across. This berry is initially green, but it eventually becomes dark blue-violet.  White-Tailed Deer are quite fond of the foliage and will chomp off the tops of plants to about 6" above the ground.  The origin of the name may be because the root of the plant bears marks that resemble the stamp of a seal and called Solomon's because his seal occurred in oriental tales.

False Solomon's Seal
Smilacina racemosa
 

A spike of white or yellow flowers appears on the tip of the strong, unbranched stem of the false Solomon's seal. The plant produces red berries which are enjoyed by grouse and other birds. These berries are edible, but rather bitter. It appears in moist woody areas and blooms from May to June. The plant is called false since it has none of the magical or medicinal properties of the eastern Solomon Seal.

Fleabanes get their common name from an old belief that they repelled fleas and other pestiferous insects. Early European settlers in North America stuffed mattresses with fleabane and hung clusters of plants in their cabins to drive out fleas. The custom persisted for generations, even though Daisy Fleabane appears to have no insect-repelling ability whatsoever. In fact, the plant ATTRACTS insects--not only pollinators but also tiny herbivores that nibble away the ray flowers and leave only the central disk.

Wild Parsnip is a common plant that occurs in every county of Illinois. Habitats include moist to mesic black soil prairies, savannas, pastures and fields, weedy meadows, areas along railroads and roadsides, vacant lots, and waste areas. Wild Parsnip can invade natural areas, especially prairies and savannas with fertile soil. It is native to Europe. The flower stalks grow about 4’ and have umbrella-like clusters of yellow flowers that form large flat seeds.

CAUTION! If plant juices come in contact with the skin in the presence of sunlight, a painful burn or blistering can occur resulting in a skin discoloration for several months.  This is the result of the foliage releasing singleton oxygen, which is chemically highly reactive (to an even greater extent than triplet oxygen, or ozone). Thus, the foliage in this condition can irritate the digestive tracts of herbivores and raise blisters on the skin of humans.

White Clover is one of the most successful introduced species, having spread from Europe to most temperate and subtropical zones around the globe. Fortunately it is of exceeding usefulness and has been a boon for agricultural societies.  White Clover is found in meadows, pastures and along roadsides. It is intentionally planted along with grasses to enrich pastures for cattle, horses, sheep, or goats. It is also cultivated in poor soil during crop rotations, as clovers help set nitrogen, and a season of clover dominance will improve commercial crops in years to follow.
 

Red Clover is a wide-spread non-native plant, found from city lots to farm fields to mountain meadows. It is a significant forage crop and a favorite with bees. It grows quickly if given ample moisture and it is quite noticeable because of its large, long-lasting, and colorful flower head and its large leaves.  It is a most desirable clover for beekeepers and clover honey is among the best of honeys.

 

Horse Nettle is widely regarded as a weed, with some justication, but it is also one of the native wildflowers of the prairie. The fruits are benefical to wildlife. Because of the intense competition among plants and their root systems, this plant is less aggressive in prairie habitats than in disturbed sites around developed areas.

This plant is extremely poisonous to humans and livestock. The berries, when properly prepared, have been used as diuretics, antispasmodics, anodynes; and according to the U.S. Dispensatory, they have also been used in a treatment for epilepsy.
 

White Avens prefers light shade or partial sun, moist to slightly dry conditions, and a loam or clay-loam soil. At favorable sites, it can spread aggressively and is somewhat weedy.    Habitats include mesic deciduous woodlands, woodland borders, thickets, partially shaded seeps, fence rows with woody vegetation, powerline clearances in wooded areas, and edges of yards. Sometimes White Avens can be found in disturbed meadows and tall-grass prairies, but this is atypical. It adapts well to disturbed areas.  The hooked achenes can cling to the fur of mammals, feathers of birds, and clothing of humans; by this means, they are distributed far and wide.
 

The Yellow Wood Sorrel grows 6 to 12 inches.  Its blooming period peaks during late spring or early summer, but continues intermittently until the fall.    Wood sorrel folds its leaves up at night and opens them again in the morning. It also folds its leaves when under stress, such as when growing in direct sun, or during storms. Wood sorrel prefers moist soil, and partial shade, but will grow in sun or shade, good soil or poor and is also commonly found growing through the cracks in sidewalks.  It can withstand being walked on, mowed to within a quarter inch, and poisoned.

The leaves can be added to salads in small amounts – they have a slightly sour taste.  A chilled, sweetened, wood sorrel tea makes a refreshing beverage along the lines of lemonade. Wood sorrel is quite high in ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and may provide other nutrients.  Wood sorrel also contains rather high amounts of potassium oxalate and oxalic acid and should therefore be used in moderation, and avoided by people with kidney disease, kidney stones, rheumatoid arthritis, or gout.

Hairy Wild Petunia occurs in mesic to dry black soil prairies, gravelly hill prairies, dry open woodlands, limestone glades, bluffs, sandy cemeteries, sand flats, and areas along roadsides and railroads. This plant is typically found in areas with poor soil and sparse vegetative cover, where it occurs sporadically in short grass, rather than forming dense colonies.  A flower typically opens during the morning and falls off the plant by evening. The overall appearance of Hairy Wild Petunia resembles cultivated petunias, but they are members of different plant families. The blooming period occurs from early summer to late summer, and lasts about 2 months.
 

The Orange Day Lily has been observed in the wild in most counties of Illinois. It is probably more widespread than official records indicate, and is fairly common. Habitats include cemeteries and cemetery prairies, thickets and woodland borders, areas along railroads and roadsides, sites of abandoned homesteads, and old flower gardens. The Orange Day Lily usually occurs at disturbed sites, but it can also invade natural areas and become in time a nuisance.  The Day Lilies originate primarily from East Asia

Common Milkweed occurs in every county of Illinois and is quite common. Habitats include moist to dry black soil prairies, sand prairies, sand dunes along lake shores, thickets, woodland borders, fields and pastures, abandoned fields, vacant lots, fence rows, and areas along railroads and roadsides. This plant is a colonizer of disturbed areas in both natural and developed habitats.  The flowers are very popular with many kinds of insects, especially long-tongued bees, wasps, flies, skippers, and butterflies, which seek nectar.  The caterpillars of  the Monarch Butterfly feed on the foliage, as well as the caterpillars of a few moths, including Milkweed Tiger Moth, Unexpected Cycnia, Delicate Cycnia.
 

The blooming period can occur from late spring to early fall, and can span several months, even though individual flowers persist for only a single day, usually opening during the morning and closing by late afternoon. The root system consists of a slender taproot that branches frequently; it can extend 20' into the ground. Rhizomes are also produced in abundance, so that this plant often forms vegetative colonies.  It can be very aggressive and persistent.  Habitats include lawns, gardens, fields, clay banks, areas along roadsides and railroads (including ballast), vacant lots, and miscellaneous waste areas. This plant occurs primarily in disturbed areas.
 

Yarrow is a common plant that has naturalized in all counties of Illinois. It is also cultivated in flower and herb gardens. Habitats include mesic to dry prairies, pastures, fallow fields, grassy waste areas, and edges of paths, yards, or hedges. Disturbed areas are preferred; Yarrow persists in native habitats to a limited extent. Yarrow was introduced into the United States from Europe as an ornamental and medicinal plant. However, a Western form of this species that is smaller in size and woollier in appearance may be native to North America.

Yarrow's highly honorable scientific name Achillea milefolium ("Achilles' thousand-leaved herb") is named for the great Greek leader of warriors in the Trojan War, who bound the wounds of his warriors with yarrow to staunch the flow of their blood—ancient testimony to the herb's astringent and antiseptic properties.

White and yellow sweet clover are very similar. Yellow sweet clover is usually shorter and blooms earlier. First year plants do not bloom. Second year plants grow 3 - 5' high and are bush-like. Sweet clovers are very fragrant.

Sweet clover invades and degrades native grasslands by overtopping and shading native sun-loving plants thereby reducing diversity. It grows abundantly on disturbed lands, roadsides and abandoned fields.  It responds favorable to prescribed burns by scarifying seeds thereby stimulating germination. First year plants are hard to detect.  Native to Europe it was brought to the U.S. in the late 1600s and still used today as a forage crop and soil enhancer predominantly in the Great Plains and Upper Midwest.

This introduced annual vine is up to 6' long, branching occasionally.  It was introduced from South America as an ornamental plant, and it is probably still spreading throughout Illinois.  Habitats include fields, abandoned fields, areas along roadsides and railroads, gardens, and miscellaneous waste areas. So far this plant hasn't invaded native habitats to any significant degree, but it is quite common in disturbed areas, especially cultivated fields, where it can be a major pest.

 

Great Mullein is a common plant that occurs in all counties of Illinois. It is native to Eurasia, and may have been introduced into the United States as an herbal or ornamental plant. Habitats include limestone glades, rocky slopes and clay banks, pastures and fallow fields, areas along railroads and roadsides, vacant lots, and dry waste areas. Disturbed areas are preferred.  Great Mullein can grow to seven feet tall.  The seeds can lie dormant in the soil for several decades and remain capable of germination.

Great Mullein has been used as an alternative medicine for centuries, and in many countries throughout the world, the value of Great Mullein as a proven medicinal herb is now backed by scientific evidence. Some valuable constituents contained in Mullein are Coumarin and Hesperidin; they exhibit many healing abilities. Research indicates some of the uses as analgesic, antihistaminic, antiinflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant, antiviral, bacteristat, cardiodepressant, estrogenic, fungicide, hypnotic, sedative and pesticide are valid

The leaves are huge, up to a foot long, and are very soft to the touch. They have been used as diapers and as wicks for lamps and candles. Infused with grease, the stalks have been used as torches.

Each yellowish or reddish green flower is about 1/8" long. The blooming period occurs during the summer and lasts about a month.  Each flower matures into a dry fruit about 1/6" long that contains a single seed.  The fruit and stems of Curly Dock become dark brown with maturity.  Curly Dock is a common plant that probably occurs in every county of Illinois. It is native to Eurasia and was first observed in the United States during the 18th century. Habitats include seeps, glades, weedy meadows (including areas prone to occasional flooding), pastures and fallow fields, vacant lots, roadside banks and gravelly areas along railroads, edges of yards and gardens, and miscellaneous waste areas. Disturbed areas are preferred.
 

Wild Bergamot is a member of the mint family.  Its blooming period occurs during mid-summer and lasts about 1 month.  Habitats include moist to slightly dry black soil prairies, hill prairies, sandy Black Oak woodlands, savannas and woodland borders, thickets, borders of limestone glades, abandoned pastures, and landfills. The rhizomes can survive earth-moving and bulldozing operations, and send up plants in unexpected places. For a member of the mint family, the flowers are large and beautiful.

Traditional and folk remedies and uses: used to increase mucus flow; treatment for colds, headaches, burns, and warts; kills bacteria, fungus growth and intestinal worms; high in vitamins A and C; leaves used in salads or dried for tea.

Missouri Ironweed occurs throughout Illinois, except in the NW corner of the state. It is a common plant. Typical habitats include Wooded swamps, low meadows, waste places, overgrazed pastures and degraded prairies.  This is an attractive plant when in bloom, and one of the best attractors of late summer butterflies.

Common Mountain Mint is widely distributed in northern and central Illinois.  The name 'Mountain Mint' is something of a misnomer, because this plant and the majority of other members in this genus do not usually occur in mountainous habitats. There is a strong mint fragrance in the crushed leaves of Common Mountain Mint, and it is used as a seasoning in cooking..  Native Americans use the roots and leaves for medicine and for baiting mink traps.

Beautiful and destructive, the tall morning-glory is an invasive wildflower vine that can grow 2.5 meters a day. Introduced from South America, Ipomoea purpurea is unopposed by the ranks of natural enemies that slow a native plant. Blooming from July to September, Ipomoea purpurea produces flowers that range in color from deep purple to white. Their mature fruit is a brown capsule containing 4 to 6 dark brown to black seeds. The decidedly heart-shaped leaves help distinguish it from most of the other morning glories. Parts of plant are poisonous if ingested.  Hernando Cortes collected morning glory seeds from the Aztecs and took them back to Spain for the monastery gardens. The beauty of its flowers is Ipomoea purpurea's only apparent redeeming characteristic in North America.

Wood Nettle
Laportea canadensis

Wood nettle covers the floor of flood plain forests.  It has stinging hairs on leaves that carry a toxic agent. The stinging hairs act like a hypodermic needle and consist of a fine capillary tube with a bladder like base that is filled with the chemical irritant. At the tip of the hair is a minute cap that breaks off on contact with the skin. The sharply pointed tip then penetrates the skin and injects the toxic fluid. The result is an intense burning and itching of the skin that persists for minutes to a few hours

This native plant is a summer annual that becomes 2-5' tall, branching occasionally.  It grows readily from seeds and often forms colonies by reseeding itself.  Jewelweed habitats include openings in moist woodlands, partially or lightly shaded floodplains along rivers, edges of woodland paths, swamps, seeps and fens, and roadside ditches.

Walking in the woods or working outdoors risks exposure to poison ivy, poison oak, and stinging nettle.  If exposed to these irritants, one should immediately look for Jewelweed.  The stem of the plant can be cut or mashed and the juice rubbed on the exposed areas.  The Jewelweed juice should remove the Urushiol oil from the skin and prevent the onset of a rash.  Jewelweed juice can be used to help reduce inflammation and itching of a rash caused by poison ivy and insect bites.

This native perennial plant is largely unbranched and up to 6' tall.  This species is occasional in some areas, and uncommon or absent in others. Populations in the wild are probably declining as a result of modern development. Habitats include moist meadows near rivers, savannas, fens, pastures, and roadsides. It is often flourishes within the floodplain of rivers.
 

This flower is called flower-of-an-hour because of the short time each flower remains open. An old English name for the plant was "Good night at noone". It is found on disturbed sites, waste ground, and along roadsides and railroads, and can be a problem weed. Introduced from southern Europe, flower-of-an-hour is an annual plant that originally grew to the east of the Mediterranean, but spread throughout southern Europe both as a weed and cultivated as a garden plant. The plant grows to a height of 1 to 2 feet.

Wild Carrot (or Queen Anne's Lace) was introduced from Europe as a medicinal plant.  The root system consists of a stout taproot that is white and runs deep into the ground.  Wild Carrot is aggressive and can be difficult to destroy. It often survives mowing and hand-pulling of plants by the rootstocks. This is because the deep taproot is difficult to remove and stores considerable energy to initiate new growth.  Wild Carrot doesn't begin blooming until mid-summer and usually occurs in mesic to dry areas, rather than wetlands. The presence of a single reddish purple flower in the middle of the compound umbel is a distinctive characteristic, although it is not always present.  Wild Carrot is an important source of the natural food dye, carotene, and for this reason has commercial importance. According to most authorities, it is the source of the cultivated carrot. 
 

This native plant is an annual or biennial from 2-6' tall. Usually, it is unbranched, although sometimes a few side stems will develop from the lower central stem.  American Bellflower is a common plant that occurs in most counties of Illinois. Habitats include moist to slightly dry deciduous woodlands, woodland borders, and thickets. It is often found along woodland paths, and appears to prefer slightly disturbed areas.
 

Wingstem grows up to 6 feet tall in moist wooded slopes and open woodlands, riverbanks, shaded lowlands, roadsides, fields in sun or partial shade. It usually doesn't wander far from woodland areas or bodies of water.  Wingstem is a favored treat of bees and butterflies.  The strongly winged central stem gives this plant its common name.
 

The common evening primrose  is a common biennial plant that is particularly conspicuous during late summer or fall. Disturbed areas are favored in both natural and developed habitats, including mesic to dry black soil prairies, sand prairies, thickets, glades, lakeshore dunes, abandoned fields, roadsides and railroads, slopes of drainage ditches, vacant lots, etc. Sometimes this plant is cultivated in wildflower gardens, from which it may escape.  The first year there is only a rosette of basal leaves and a stalk with alternate leaves. The second year the plant flowers. The flowers open suddenly in the evening and, depending on the weather, usually fade in early to mid morning. The flowers attract sphinx moths. The dry stalks and seed pods persist and are sometimes use in dry arrangements.  Native Americans rubbed the root on athletes to give them strength.

Canada Goldenrod occurs in almost all of the counties in Illinois and is very common Natural habitats include disturbed areas of moist to dry prairies, openings in both floodplain and upland forests, thickets, savannas, limestone glades, and gravel seeps. In more developed areas, it occurs in both cultivated and abandoned fields, vacant lots, power-line clearance areas, and along fences, roadsides, and railroads.  It presents no difficulties in growing, and some species threaten to be a nuisance.  If goldenrod was not so plentiful, perhaps we would prize it more. Many species have been moved to the gardens of England and the European continent.  Its dried leaves have been used for a tea-like beverage by the Indians. The scientific name, from the Latin, means "to make whole", and refers to the healing properties which have been attributed to it.

Goldenrod does not cause hay fever. It has been wrongly accused for the pollen problems created by ragweed and the grasses. Goldenrod has brightly colored flowers to attract color-sensitive insects. Its pollen grains are relatively large, heavier than air, because they are designed to be carried off by flies, bees, butterflies, even ants or birds, but not by the wind.

This page was last updated Saturday December 15, 2012.