#appalachia

[morbidcurse]

[vandaliatraveler]

Some folks follow the backcountry trails to the mountain laurel when it blooms in the spring. But my heart will always follow a path straight to the common ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius), a fantastically beautiful native shrub in the Rose family that blooms in synch with mountain laurel in late May/early June. The plant produces masses of white flowers with orange centers and extravagantly-protruding stamens, reminiscent of those of our native Spiraeas, to which ninebark is closely related. This fast-growing shrub with spreading, arching branches gets its name from multiple layers of exfoliating bark, most apparent and striking when the plant sheds its beautiful, orange-yellow foliage in the fall. Finally, as you can see in the photos above, ninebark is a miraculous pollinator plant, drawing in hordes of bees, butterflies, and beetles, including the ever-gorgeous (and apparently horny) goldenrod soldier beetle (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus).

Photos from the Deckers Creek Trail in Preston County.

[chaoticdesertdweller]

Craig County, Virginia

📸 DJF

[prinnay]

Greenhouse Botanica

[intheholler]

[bebs-art-gallery]

Nightwalkers by Ben J

[violetteforevernever]

summer come back to me

[hillbillybabydoll]

[oldnorthcarolina]

cemetery angel, December 2023

[morbidcurse]

[vandaliatraveler]

Update from my native wildflower project . . . The next wave of spring wildflowers is now blooming in my beds, including fire pink (Silene virginica), hairy beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus), and foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis). I added the fire pink to my beebalm garden earlier this year as live plants. I germinated the hairy beardtongue from seed last spring and planted the foxglove beardtongue as live plants last fall. All three are drop-dead gorgeous natives and hugely popular with the local pollinators.

[makewavesandwar]

Reblog to escape containment, just curious here!!

[kimberly40]

[forgivenessflowers]

[intheholler]