#mimulus ringens

[geopsych]

Now blooming in the garden: Allegheny monkeyflower, Mimulus ringens.

[cedar-glade]

More from the gravel bars and mudflats, a type of riparian ecosystem of the Little Miami pt 2

Mimulus ringens, previous post had the other common species in this, these pictures show just how much larger the peduncle is comparative.

In a patch of Korean hops lies an introduced naturalized species known as Galinsoga quadriradiata or the shaggy soldier. (on broken bar)

Phyla lanceolata, lance leaf fog fruit , If your from Ohio we call it Frog Fruit; a native species perfect for bioswale planting and riparian restoration. Great stabilizer.

^bottom pic from MN wildflower blog. via Peter M. Dziuk

in the mudflat, Plantago rugelii (fairly sure based off of red base) or the floppy red based broad leaf plantain. If you find a plantain in a mudflat, it usually is stick like or narrow leaved with really unique flower structure that is more bristly looking on average, these tend to be our natives, Heartleaf is more of a gravel scour and flat wet wood species. Much like heart leaf, rugel's also has a broadleaf compared to the rest of the wet loving species. The base of this plant were barely red and the flower morphology was very bristle like is why I think the ID is correct, plus the niche affiliation; with this said, the P. major is also a generalist and can have red when stressed by summer heat on it's petioles so it would of been better to go off of the bulb like base instead of the intuition while kabrewing on the Little Miami. The other way to tell is that the ovules stick more erect.

Alisma spp. or rather I think it's A. triviale is a common mudflat species that can take longer partial submersion but doesn't like extended turbulence. Heart leaved small flowered northern water plantain.

[vandaliatraveler]

I stopped by the reservoir at White Park yesterday to photograph the rose mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos), sometimes referred to as swamp rose-mallow, which is now at peak bloom. This is a healthy and vigorous wetlands community visited by great blue and little green herons, kingfishers, a variety of ducks, and the occasional osprey - all the more remarkable because it’s within walking distance of downtown Morgantown. Anyway, the rose mallow was fabulously beautiful in its various shades of crimson red, pink, and white, and the hollow Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium fistulosum) was equally impressive, presiding over its wetlands kingdom with the massive lavender crowns of true kings.

From top: rose mallow, whose flowers display high variability in color and petal sizes/orientations (although some specimens may be hybrid escapees, this plant nonetheless possesses some wild genetic impulses); wild mint (Mentha arvensis), a cosmopolitan mint with a strong flavor and an affinity for wetlands; Allegheny monkeyflower (Mimulus ringens), a whimsical perennial that forms dense stands in swamps and along streambanks; seedbox (Ludwigia alternifolia), so named because of the four-sided shape of its seed capsules; and without further adieu, a true king bowed under the weight of its elegant crown.

[vandaliatraveler]

It was oppressively and unnecessarily hot today - in the low 90′s - so I eschewed any grand adventures and made homemade salsa instead with batches of newly-ripened goodies from my tomato and pepper pots. My sole foray outside was a mid-morning hike around Fairfax Pond-Rehe Wildlife Management Area, whose beautiful, interconnected ponds and waterways seemed right for the occasion. Swamp rose (Rosa palustris) is a bit past peak now, and riddled with Japanese beetles, but it makes a grand display starting in early July.

From top: swamp rose, a native perennial shrub that forms dense, colorful thickets along streambanks and ponds; rose milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), another wetlands-loving perennial with high-wildlife value; Allegheny monkeyflower (Mimulus ringens), an adorable colonizer with whimsical, double-lipped flowers; blue vervain (Verbena hastata), also known swamp verbena, a graceful, moisture loving perennial whose flowering spikes bloom from the bottom up; a silvery checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis) cooling its jets on Indian hemp (Apocynum cannabinum), also known as hemp dogbane; fringed loosestrife (Lysimachia ciliata), yet another wetlands-loving perennial, whose droopy yellow flowers are quite beguiling; six-spotted fishing spider (Dolomedes triton), also sometimes referred to as dock spider for its habit of rapidly vanishing between the cracks of boat docks; and a male widow skimmer ((Libellula luctuosa) finding the perfect perch for scouting females and prey. 

[vandaliatraveler]

Summer Wildflower Lollapalooza, Panel 1: Streambanks and Marshes.

[cedar-glade]

Allegheny monkey flower and Fringed loose strife growing next to each other in the mixed talus of an erosive cut bank.

Mimulus ringens,  Lysimachia ciliata

[cedar-glade]

Mimulus ringens

Allegheny Monkey Flower

[geopsych]

Monkey flower, Mimulus ringens. Usually they’re bluer. Most places where I found this, even two years ago, have been cultivated and/or cleared with chemicals, so I was pleased to find a couple of these by the lake.