Sense of Place walk with Cherrie Corey

I arrived late for Cherrie Corey's impromptu "Sense of Place" walk. At Great Meadows NWR--Concord Unit. That's probably good because I was still overwhelmed with the number of plants we saw and discussed. Here are just a few of them.

Jewel Weed ©Cherrie Corey

Nodding Bur Marigold ©Cherrie Corey

Arrow leaved tear thumb named for barbs on stem that will cut you if you pull on stem  ©Cherrie Corey

We talked about,but did not see,  Halbred-leaved tearthumb  ©Cherrie Corey

Water-pepper (Persicaria hydropiper) a smartweed  Eating smartweed causes a smarting sensation.

Calico Asters get pinkish red centers when they age  ©Cherrie Corey

Tick Trefoil is the velcro like seed. 

Visitors take away a lot of Tick Trefoil seeds.

Pilewort Photo ©Cherrie Corey

Pilewort called Fireweed in Thoreau's time when it was thought that it took hold in areas that had been burned. It's an astringiant herb that was used to treat piles.someone thought it helped put out the "fire of hemorids" The flower looks like an unopened dandelion. The seeds line up in a collor just before they float away.

Snow Bunting feeding on Evening Primrose  2011 ©Cherrie Corey

Evening Primrose Flower Essence is a big deal in the homeopathic medicine world (60,000 google links)
Evening primrose is a colonizer settleing in disturbed areas. Seeds look like minature pepper corns and are loose in the pod. Goldfinches feed on these. Omega 6 oil is contained in the seeds.

Green bud and  white flower stage of  Button Bush  (Wikipedia Photo) 

Button Bush Fruit ©Cherrie Corey

Button Bush is a dominant plant of the Concord wetlands

Bindweed morning glory, greenish yellow button,seeds like devil thorns, variations white here and purplish at other location.

Pearly Everlasting with Ant pollinating.. ©Cherrie Corey

Cherrie talked about caterpillars pulling petals and stitch them together. I don't remember if this was and catepiller lies down in pillow nest.

Reddish grass is wild millet beautiful red at sunset when back-lit. 

Climbing False Buckwheat ©Cherrie Corey

grasshopper on cattail ©Mark Eichin

Arrowleaf with white flower near the observation deck. Several kinds of arrowleaf are at Great Meadows.

Frog below boardwalk to Observation Deck ©Mark Eichin

In spring, this is the plant I know as Jack-in-the-Pulpit ( Arisaema triphyllum )

 I was surprised to lean that Jack-in-the-Pulpit has 3 leaves and red berries in the fall