Weeds of Wednesday: Oakleaf fleabane

Tiny, 1/4" daises graced a profusion of oak leaf fleabane (Erigeron quercifolius) plants at Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge (PINWR) when we field-tripped there on March 11, 2018. Also known as southern fleabane, this native annual wildflower -- or, depending…

Happy Halophytes

Halophytes are plants that are adapted to growing in salty conditions, in, for instance, mangrove swamps and salt marshes. Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area (ORCA) includes more than 250 acres of such coastal wetlands. Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge (PINWR), where…

Weeds of Wednesday: Splendid Sonchus

Looking down from the Viewing Platform at Pelican Island National Wildlife on March 11, we saw a striking and substantially sized specimen of spiny sowthistle (Sonchus asper), an elongate pyramid thriving in the rich marshy soil. Spiny sowthistle can grow…

Pretty in Pink: Sea Pink

Sea-pink, salt marsh pink, annual rose gentian, and marsh pink are among the many names given to the pretty pink wildflower of coastal marsh places pictured above. Rose-of-Plymouth (Sabatia stellaris) is the preferred common name according the the University of…