Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia)

http://minneflora.com/classify/Alismataceae/Sagittaria/latifolia.html

Arrowhead is a perennial emergent aquatic plant native to North America. It is can be common in shallow wetlands even in polluted and degraded wetlands. Its can be seen in virtually in any kind of wetland, but it does not tolerate heavily shaded wetlands or it is not usually seen in fens. It is in the Alismataceae family or the Water Plantain family. I have in my own experience seen a lot of this in Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie and in other wetlands in the Cook County Forest Preserves near Chicago. It looks very much like arrow arum, but the leaves have palmate venation and the flowers are three-petaled and on a raceme as opposed to pinnate venation and a having a flower composed of a spathe and spadix.

Arrow Arum (Peltandra virginica)

http://fm1.fieldmuseum.org/keystonature/araceae/araceae3.html

Arrow Arum is a perennial wetland plant native to eastern North America. It is found in shady swamps, shallow slow moving rivers, edges of ponds and lakes, and other depressions. Arrow Arum is in the Araceae family which includes plants with unique flowers. The flower consists of a spathe and spadix. The spathe is the little hood that you see in the above photo, and the spadix is the long tubular part inside of the spathe. Other common plants in this family are water arum, skunk cabbage, and jack in the pulpit. The look alike plant arrowhead can be distinguished by having palmate venation as opposed to pinnate venation seen in arrow arum. In arrow arum there are three wide veins in the leaf as opposed to arrowhead which has many. Also, the flowers are completely different because arrow arum has a flower with a spathe and spadix and arrowhead has a long stem of small three-petaled white flowers

Multiflora Rose (Rosa mutiflora)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_multiflora

DANGER!!!!! Mutiflora Rose is a highly invasive exotic plant that grows in many different habitats. It is originally from Eastern Asia, but has become VERY invasive in eastern North America. It is found in degraded prairies and woodlands, and basically everything between. This is why this rose is such a problem because it very tolerant of almost all growing conditions and the roots are highly aggressive. I have not seen this rose growing in wetlands, so maybe that is the only place where it does not infiltrate. This rose can be distinguished from other roses from its small individual white flowers. It has many more individual flowers than most roses because they are small. Multiflora Rose also has comb-like hairs on each leaf stem as opposed to the native roses. The seed pod is also smaller than most native roses, and many more of them. The growing behavior of this rose is either sprawling or growing upright to several feet high in optimal conditions.

Pasture Rose (Rosa carolina)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_carolina

 

Pasture Rose is perennial woody plant native to eastern North America. It is found in prairies, openings in woodlands, oak savannas, limestone glades, and sand dunes near bodies of water. Pasture Rose can be locally common especially in abandoned fields, along railroads, fence rows, and other waste areas. It like mesic conditions, but can tolerate some moisture. The flowers look like Swamp Rose, but it lacks red styles in the center of the flower. Also, pasture rose would not be found in wetlands, the thorns are not curved, and is not even close as tall as how Swamp Rose can get. Pasture Rose can often times be seen sprawling on the ground as that is how I have only seen it in my experience.

Swamp Rose (Rosa Palustris)

http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/wetland/plants/sw_rose.html

Swamp Rose is a wetland perennial rose native to North America. It is found in swamps, marshes, seeps, bogs, and other wetlands where there is sand, gravel, muck or peat with acidity in the soil. It is usually  not a common sight since swamp rose is an indicator of a high quality wetland. It is found also in prairie restoration sites where reintroductions of this plant have been made. Roses are hard to identify whether they are native or exotic, but swamp rose is really the only rose east of the Mississippi that can tolerate growing in wet soils to growing in standing water. It is also taller (3-8' tall) and more robust than many roses. Another way to distinguish this rose is that it has a red dot (red styles) in the center of the flower as opposed to yellow styles like most roses have.

Eastern Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)

http://youcaneatthis.tumblr.com/page/8

Eastern Skunk Cabbage is a perennial wetland woodland plant native to Canada and the United States. It is one of the earliest plants to come out in the springtime, or should I say, the wintertime, because it can come out as early as late February into March. Many times, this plant can come out through the ice and snow since this plant has the ability of thermogenesis. This plant produces heat from its rapid growth to melt off snow and ice. This plant is of interest because it sends its flowers out first instead of its leaves, and the unattractive flowers smell of skunk and carrion to attract the season's first pollinators.

Torrey's Rush (Juncus torreyi)

http://www.missouriplants.com/GSR/Juncus_torreyi_page.html

Torrey's Rush is a perennial rush growing widespread from southern Canada to northern Mexico and from the east to west coast. Torrey's rush is found in wetlands such as wet prairies, sedge meadows, ditches, along ponds and lakes. Torrey's rush like most rushes are grass-like, but are not true grasses. Rushes are in the Juncaceae family and grasses are in the Poaceae family. Torrey's rush is characterized by its round spiky seed heads that are closely held together. The plant itself is a maximum of 3-5 feet. 

Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)

http://www.swissmountainleader.com/blog/

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marsh marigold is a perennial wetland plant that likes to grow in moist prairies or woodlands. It is one of the earliest plants to produce leaves and to bloom in the springtime. It is especially noticeable with its large bright yellow flowers and shiny green leaves. It can be seen growing in moist soil or in standing water in ponds, lakes, wet prairies, moist woodlands, and ditches. This is one of my favorite plants because of its attractive appearance. This plant is toxic to many animals and that is why many keep away from it.

Giant Ironweed (Vernonia gigantea)

I believe this is giant ironweed, but I am not quite 100% sure. Ironweeds do inhabit moist soils in sedge meadows or wet prairies and can somewhat tolerate disturbance. They inhabit the same habitat with swamp milkweed which together make a beautiful purple-pink midsummer prairie.

Cut-leaved teasel (Dipsacus laciniatus)

Caution!!! Danger!!! This above plant is a horrible invasive plant from Europe and is quickly spreading across North America. This plant has recently become a huge nuisance in North America because it is highly aggressive and produces many seeds. The seeds can travel far by wind because the seeds sit atop a tall plant, upwards to six feet tall. It is ubiquitously seen along roadsides, empty lots, abandoned fields, wastelands, and even in home gardens. It is a very hard plant to get rid of especially in restoration ecology where the plant may persist for many years. The seeds are viable for many years and may suddenly come up out of the blue. The close relative, common teasel, is also highly invasive, but has lavender instead of white flowers.

Hoary Vervain (Verbena stricta)

Hoary vervain is a short-lived perennial plant native to eastern North America. It likes to grow in dry to mesic prairies with a preference for disturbance. It is seen along roadsides, abandoned fields, empty lots, and degraded/overgrazed prairies. It is often mistaken with V. hastata which has sharply lanceolate and toothed leaves and grows in wetlands.

Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota)

Queen Anne's Lace, also commonly called wild carrot, is a highly invasive exotic biennual plant from Eurasia. It is originally from Europe and western Asia. It has become highly invasive in North America and Australia. It is prevalent in abandoned dry to mesic fields and prairies.

It is thought that it has escaped home gardens as an ornamental. A subspecies cultivar of this plant is actually the common carrot that we can get at a supermarket. The young roots of this plant are also edible but quickly become too tough too eat.

Wild carrot can be seen almost anywhere in the Midwestern part of the United States. It is especially ubiquitous along roadsides or in empty lots. It has become a problem in prairie restoration but it can fade away if the restoration is done properly with strong resistant native plants such as wild bergamot or yellow coneflower.

Blue Monkey Flower in Midewin

Water Parsnip (Sium suave)

Water parsnip is a perennial wetland plant native to North America. It likes to grow in wetlands such as marshes, ditches, wet prairies, sedge meadows, and along ponds and lakes. Here it is pictured in a wet prairie in Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. This plant is commonly hard to identify because it looks similar to many other species in the Apiaceae family such as water and poison hemlock (Cicuta spp.). A way that I distinguish it from the hemlocks is that the leaves of water parsnip are lighter green in color and wider. Water parsnip can survive in inundated conditions. It can be fully submerged in water especially during the springtime when the water levels are high.

Mexican Hat (Ratibida columnifera)

Mexican Hat is here pictured in a small prairie own by the IDNR. Mexican Hat is actually not common in Illinois and only small isolated populations exist. Mexican Hat is found more commonly in the Great Plains region and out west. It is characterized by a long column of disk flowers and either maroon, yellow, or yellow with maroon base ray flowers. Here, it has the yellow with maroon base ray flowers.

Mexican Hat actually prefers dry poor soils over moist fertile soils. That is why it can sometimes overtake barren wastelands or dry outcrops where other vegetation does not grow. If other native or non-native vegetation comes along, it will eventually return to its natural population or not persist. It likes to flower in early-mid summer along with its more common relative, yellow coneflower.

Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)

A monarch butterfly on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia) in my garden. Monarch butterflies are beautiful butterflies that once used to be common across North America. But now that nature is being degraded more and more, these butterflies are being  closer and closer to their demise. The caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweed plants and the butterflies feed on any flower with a good nectar source. Let us plant more milkweed plants in our backyards to promote the growth of monarch butterflies. Stay tuned to my blog for purchasing milkweeds directly from me to conserve and promote the survival of monarch butterflies.

Monarda in Midewin

An elegant picture of Monarda fistulosa. Monarda fistulosa is a prairie classic and a must have in an meadow. Monarda is commonly seen even in degraded prairies with invasive herbaceous and woody vegetation as I have seen it in Midewin. Here it is pictured in a large colony of Monarda along with some other prairie classics in a restoration project. Catch a royal performance and an encore of Monarda in mid-late summer.

Hennepin and Hopper Lakes 2

Hennepin and Hopper Lakes

Prairie Blazing Star (Liatris pycnostachya)

Prairie Blazing Star in Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.

Prairie Blazing Star grows in mesic to moist but never in standing water. From my own experience, they are the tallest of all of the blazing stars. The flower spike tends to curve slightly side to side and is usually thinner than the other blazing stars.

Here Prairie Blazing Stars are growing in clumps in a reconstruction site in Midewin. They are naturally found in high quality sites. Ninety-eight percent of blazing star flowers are purple, as you see above, but very few are naturally white. I have seen a few in my experience.

It will take a few years before a seedling will reach this much growth and robustness. Most do not start  flowering the first year, a few start flowering the second year and most will flower the third year. If conditions are poor, then the plant will flower the fourth year or later.

Blazing stars are relatively hard to identify from my experience, but I just concentrate on the habitat and height of the plant to determine what kind of blazing star it is.