What’s in Flower During the Last Week of August and First Week of September

September 22, 2018

I performed environmental studies on a large tract of land in southern Maryland for three days during late August and early September of 2018. The study area had three types of natural areas (natural community classifications), which were:

Early to Mid-Seral Mixed Virginia and Loblolly Pine

Successional Grass/Sedge/Rush Grasslands (2016 DNR)
Successional Virginia Pine Forest (2016 DNR)
Early to Mid-Successional Loblolly Pine Forest (2016 DNR)

Dominant species observed within the early to mid-seral grounds included sapling stocked Virginia and loblolly pine, fallow ground and disturbed grasslands.

Perennial Stream Riparian and Floodplain Drainage Corridor

Coastal Plain Streamside Forest – Sycamore/Sweetgum/Poplar/Paw Paw (2016 DNR)

Dominant species observed within the floodplain forest included sweetgum, tulip poplar, red maple, American beech, pin oak, black gum, American holly, sweetbay, paw paw, and highbush blueberry.

Mixed Upland Hardwoods

Willow Oak-Loblolly Pine Association (1976 Brush, Lenk & Smith)
Northern Coastal Plain Mesic Mixed Hardwood Forest – Beech/White Oak/Northern Red Oak/Poplar/Holly (2016 DNR)

Dominant species observed within the mixed upland hardwoods included willow oak, white oak, northern red oak, sweetgum, American beech, Virginia pine, pignut hickory, flowering dogwood, sassafras, ironwood, paw paw, highbush blueberry and Devil’s walkingstick.

The following are photos of various flowering plants observed during the three day field exercise, one day each week for three weeks.

Tickseed Sunflower (Bidens polylepsis).

Lurid Sedge (Carex lurida).

Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata).

Spangle Grass (Chasmanthium laxum), aka Slender Wood Oats.

Striped Wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata).

Sweet Pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia).

Mist Flower (Conoclinium coelestinum) aka Wild Ageratum.

Golden Tickseed (Coreopsis tinctoria).

Globe Flat Sedge (Cyperus echinatus).

Umbrella Sedge (Cyperus strigosus).

Broom Witch Grass (Dichanthelium scoparium).

Common Buttonweed (Diodia teres).

Dwarf Hairgrass (Eleocharis parvula) aka Dwarf Spikerush.

Fireweed (Erechtites hieraciifolius).

Purple Head Sneezeweed (Helenium flexuosum).

Hairy Hawkweed (Hieracium gronovii).

Lesser St. Johnswort (Hypericum canadense).

St. Andrews Cross (Hypericum hypericoides).

Marsh St. Johnswort (Hypericum virginicum).

Creeping Lespedeza (Lespedeza repans).

Slender Lespedeza (Lespedeza virginica).

Inflated Lobelia (Lobelia inflata).

Seedbox (Ludwigia alternifolia).

Beaked Panic Grass (Panicum anceps).

Curtis Milkwort (Polygala curtissii).

Heal-All (Prunella vulgaris var. lanceolata) aka Self-Heal.

Virginia Meadow Beauty (Rhexia virginica).

Maryland Meadow Beauty (Rhexia mariana).

Brownish Beak Sedge (Rhynchospora capitellata).

Rose Pink (Sabatia angularis).

Wool Grass (Scirpus cyperinus).

Horse Nettle (Solanum carolinense).

Slender Lady’s Tresses (Spiranthes lacera var. gracilis).

Slender Lady’s Tresses (Spiranthes lacera var. gracilis). I found 12 stems of this orchid at two locations.

Pink Wild Bean (Strophostyles umbellata).

Yellow-Eyed Grass (Xyris torta).

Slender Gerardia (Agalinis tenuifolia) aka Purple False Foxglove.

This annual forb is generally found in full sun within dry woodlands, and open and disturbed areas, such as fields and clearings. The plant is partially parasitic on other plants. It has chlorophyll and conducts photosynthesis, but also uses haustoria to establish connections between its roots and those of adjacent host plants. The haustoria transfer sugars and proteins from the host to the false foxglove.