The creamy pink flowers of milkweed (Asclepias sp.) and yellow spikes of goldenrod
(Solidago sp.) are common late summer and fall blooming wildflowers in this open scrubby
field. Plants growing here are a mixture of those native to the area before European
settlement, and those brought in either deliberately or accidentally by colonists.
Spot the blue dandelion-like flowers of Chicory, brought to this country as an edible
plant hundreds of years ago and now growing wild.
This field, if left undisturbed, will continue to bloom and change over time. Search for
birds hopping about the field, feeding on the rich assortment of berries and seeds that
areas such as these provide. As they feed, they spread, in their droppings, seeds of
plants such as Multiflora rose, Northern bayberry, wild cherry, and eastern red cedar that
will grow over time to change this field into a young forest.
Chicory. Chicory is native to Europe and is sometimes used in coffee. It blooms in August.
Common Mullein. This plant is also a native of Europe. It used to be famed for
medicinal uses. It blooms with yellow flowers at mid-summer but the spike remains until
winter.
Milkweed. Milkweed is named for its’ milky sap, which contains cardiac glycosides.
Monarch caterpillars absorb this material that renders them unpalatable to predators even
after they become butterflies. The Viceroy butterfly mimics the Monarch in the hope of not
being eaten.
