Nature

Black snakeroot (bugbane) bloom

Submitted by jeffpsmith on Wed, 08/21/2013 - 23:41
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The fluffy, flaccid bloom of the moisture-loving native woodland perennial black snakeroot, Actaea racemosa, also called black cohosh or bugbane.

For more about black snakeroot and native plants for the Midwest, especially those that do well in shade/moist areas, see the "book" on this website, Gardening with Native Plants in Shady Evanston.

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Celandine poppy seed pod

Submitted by jeffpsmith on Tue, 10/30/2012 - 09:41
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Another view of the native woodlands ground cover, celandine poppy, Stylophorum diphyllum, showing how it produces a somewhat hairy green seed pod that dangles from the stem.

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Celandine poppy

Submitted by jeffpsmith on Tue, 10/30/2012 - 09:39
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Celandine poppy, Stylophorum diphyllum, is a native woodlands perennial of the poppy family that is found in a few counties in Illinois, including Cook County, and is threatened by the invasive garlic mustard. It produces inch-long, hairy seed pods and small, attractive, delicate yellow flowers in mid-summer. It is said to colonize well and can be used as a ground cover.

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Prairie dropseed

Submitted by jeffpsmith on Thu, 09/20/2012 - 06:39
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Prairie dropseed, Sporobolus heterolepis, a perennial grass of the Poaceae grass family native to Illinois and the midwest, forms unique fountain-shaped tufts of dense, narrow leaves, sending up one or more shoots from the center that can reach up to 2' tall and produce lacy panicles in late summer and fall.
 

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Prairie dropseed seeds

Submitted by jeffpsmith on Thu, 09/20/2012 - 06:29
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A closeup of the delicately soft magenta-tinged seed spray of northern prairie dropseed, a perennial grass native to Illinois.
 
For more about native plants for the Midwest, especially those that do well in shade/moist areas, see the "book" on this website, Gardening with Native Plants in Shady Evanston.

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Solomon's-seal berries, mature

Submitted by jeffpsmith on Thu, 09/20/2012 - 06:24
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This photo shows the dark blue mature, late summer stage of the seed pods that dangle from underneath Solomon's-seal, Polygonatum biflorum, a North American woodlands native perennial.
 

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More ostrich ferns

Submitted by jeffpsmith on Tue, 09/18/2012 - 11:58
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Another view of one of the more familiar native perennials, the ostrich fern, Matteuccia struthiopteris. These ferns do splendidly in moist, shady areas. They don't like extended heat or dry soil and are hard-pressed to last all the way to the end of the summer.

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Ostrich ferns

Submitted by jeffpsmith on Tue, 09/18/2012 - 11:54
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The lovely ostrich fern, Matteuccia struthiopteris, is native to North America and occurs naturally in scattered locations in northern and western Illinois.  
 
For more about the ostrich fern and native plants for the Midwest, especially those that do well in shade/moist areas, see the "book" on this website, Gardening with Native Plants in Shady Evanston.

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Great blue lobelia blooms

Submitted by jeffpsmith on Tue, 09/18/2012 - 11:47
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This shows, close-up, the lovely blue-violet blooms of Lobelia siphilitica, or Great Blue Lobelia, an Illinois native perennial of the Campanulaceae (Bellflower) family.
 
For more about Great Blue Lobelia and native plants for the Midwest, especially those that do well in shade/moist areas, see the "book" on this website, Gardening with Native Plants in Shady Evanston.

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Lobelia cardinalis

Submitted by jeffpsmith on Tue, 09/18/2012 - 11:42
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This is a pink cultivar of Lobelia cardinalis L., commonly known as Cardinal flower, a native perennial of Campanulaceae (Bellflower) family. A daintier cousin of the Great Blue Lobelia, it grows from 1-6 feet tall with delicate but colorful blooms at the end of long stems.
 
For more about cardinal flower and native plants for the Midwest, especially those that do well in shade/moist areas, see the "book" on this website, Gardening with Native Plants in Shady Evanston.

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