Sawtooth Sunflower

Posted on August 21, 2026 by tspuckler

While hiking on the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath, I often see this plant. It may reach 3 to 7 feet in height and in some instances can grow to 12 feet. It is found along streams, damp prairies and roadsides in the eastern and central parts of Canada and the United States, primarily in the northern Great Plains and Great Lakes Region.

Notwithstanding its name, the Sawtooth Sunflower often has leaves that are toothless or only slightly serrated. There is considerable variation in the size of plants across different locations, and the leaves are somewhat variable in their size and shape.

The flowerheads are yellow, to 3-1/2 inches across, with 10 to 25 fairly wide ray florets.

This sunflower can be distinguished from other types by its smooth reddish stems, which often have a powdery white substance that can rubbed off. The lower stems on large older plants can become slightly woody in appearance and feel.

The species’ deep roots improve soil structure and water infiltration, increase drought resilience in plant communities, and its robust flowering displays can enhance pollinator foraging networks, boosting reproductive success of co-flowering native plants.

The most common visitors to the Sawtooth Sunflower are bees, especially long-tongued species. Among these are Honeybees, Bumblebees, Cuckoo Bees, Digger Bees, and Leaf-cutting Bees. The seeds of this plant are a favorite food of birds, like Bobwhite Quail, Mourning Dove, Redwing Blackbird, American Goldfinch, several types of Sparrows.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Swamp Rose

Posted on July 17, 2026 by tspuckler

While hiking in a marshy area of north-central Ohio in the Springtime, I noticed this a perennial shrub that was just starting to get leaves. I went back to see it again in the Summer. Swamp Rose grows up to seven feet tall and is native to the eastern United States.

This plant occurs along stream banks, in swamps and along marshes. In swamps it is generally found growing on bald cypress knees or exposed downed logs. It grows best in slightly acidic, wet-to-moist soils in partial shade or full sunlight.

Its bright pink flowers are about two inches in diameter and bloom in late Spring through early Summer and attract a variety of pollinators — especially native bees. This shrub also provides thick cover for birds.

Swamp Rose is extremely fragrant and the pink blooms last for six to eight weeks in midseason – generally June through July. Indeed, I have found no other native flower that smells so strong and so pleasant.

The flowers give way to smooth red hips (fruit) that is red and fleshy on the outside with a mass of seeds inside the fruit. The rose hips are eaten by and spread by birds and mammals.

Its leaves are compound and the leaflets (usually 7) are oval-lance-shaped, with finely toothed edges. They are smooth on the surface and slightly hairy along the midrib underneath. They turn bright red in Autumn.

Like most roses, Swamp Rose’s petals and hips can be used to infuse liquids such as syrups or vinegars, and to make wine, tea, jelly or syrup.

This was a cool plant to experience while looking for reptiles and amphibians in a marsh habitat.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

American Lotus

Posted on September 19, 2025 by tspuckler

While herping waterways in northwest Ohio, I saw a number of these plants. American Lotus is an emergent aquatic flora. It grows in lakes and swamps, as well as areas subject to flooding. The roots are anchored in the mud, but the leaves and flowers emerge above the water’s surface.

Flowering begins in late Spring and may continue into the Summer. The species name lutea means “yellow” in Latin and refers to the flowers, which may be white to pale yellow. American Lotus’ flowers that grow up to 10″ across, making them one of the largest flowers in North America. This perennial typically grows 3 to 6 feet tall.

This plant’s leaves are blue-green, shed water, and are normally held above water level on long stems. They are circular and extremely variable in size, being up to 2 feet wide. This valued native wildflower is sometimes planted as an ornamental in aquatic gardening.

American Lotus’ unique seed pod emerges as an inverted cone-like structure from the center of the bloom. As the pod develops, it turns from pale yellow to dark brown and resembles a shower head. It is very popular in dried floral arrangements and terrarium decorations.

This plant was an important food source for Native Americans, who dug up the starchy roots with their feet. Young shoots were eaten as greens; the unripe seeds taste like chestnuts and when ripe can be hulled and roasted. Waterfowl eat the seeds, and large colonies are important nurseries for fish and other aquatic life as well as shelter for ducks.

This is indeed a very cool plant that is enjoyable to see on my travels.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Sow Thistle

Posted on August 1, 2025 by tspuckler

I recently saw this plant growing on the corner of my street. Sow Thistle is native to Eurasia, but has spread to other countries. In the United States, grows in areas such as pastures, roadsides, bushlands and the shorelines of lakes, rivers, and sea coast.

Many people tend to confuse Sow Thistle with Dandelions. Sow Thistle usually has many flowers sprouting out on each stalk, while Dandelion only has one flower per stalk. Sow Thistle leaves grow all the way up the stalk, as well as at the base of the plant. Dandelion leaves are only at the base.

Sow Thistle’s flowers are grouped in loose clusters at the end of stalks. A plant may have up to 20 flower heads, with only a few blooming at once. The flowers open two to three hours after sunrise and close around noon.

The flowerheads mature to form fluffy spheres that are three to four inches diameter and comprised of seeds with long, slender beaks on white, umbrella-like structures that aid in their dispersal by wind. The fluffy sphere of seeds looks similar to that of a Dandelion, only much larger.

This plant’s leaves are alternate, simple, and are the broadest near or above the middle – they can be up to a foot long. They are deeply lobed along the margin and the spiny toothed, lobed leaf bases clasp Sow Thistle’s stem. Its stems are filled with milky white sap.

This plant is also known as Field Milk Thistle, Field Sow Thistle, Perennial Sow-thistle, Corn Sow Thistle, Dindle, Gutweed, Swine Thistle, or Tree Sow Thistle.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Bluet

Posted on July 5, 2024 by tspuckler

While hiking in the woods near Youngstown, Ohio I noticed a bit of color on the forest floor.

Large drifts of Bluets can be visible from afar. Nonetheless, this is a plant that warrants dropping to the ground to better appreciate the nuances of its tiny flowers.

With the Latin Name of Houstonia caerulea, the genus name commemorates Scottish botanist William Houstoun (1695-1733), who spent time in the American tropics exploring and collecting plants.

This small, delicate perennial is often found growing in compact tufts, about 8 inches high. The plants may cover broad expanses. Its tiny flowers are pale blue with yellow centers.

There are two flower types: “pins,” with long style and short stamens, and “thrums” with short style and long stamens. Such flowers are called distylous.

Bluets are native to eastern Canada (from Ontario to Newfoundland) and the eastern United States (from Maine to Wisconsin, south to Florida and Louisiana, with scattered populations in Oklahoma).

This plant is found in a variety of habitats such as cliffs, alpine zones, forests, meadows and shores of rivers or lakes.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Everlasting Sweet Pea

Posted on August 18, 2023 by tspuckler

I often see this plant on the edges of roadsides in the Summer months. Everlasting Sweet Pea is an old-fashioned, herbaceous perennial climbing vine with beautiful, bright flowers that grows up 10 feet tall.

A non-native, it was introduced from Europe as a horticultural plant because of its showy flowers.

This plant’s habitats include meadows with history of disturbance, woodland edges, sites of old homesteads, vacant lots, fence rows, and gardens. It has distinct stems that look “winged” on each side.

Everlasting Sweet Pea produces pink or white flowers in summer. Its flowers are clustered in groups, about one inch long, in the typical pea-flower configuration, with a large standard (upper petal); rose-purple, rose-pink, or white. Despite their name, the flowers are not fragrant.

Bumblebees pollinate the flowers. Butterflies visit the flowers for their nectar, but do not pollinate them. Fabricius Blister Beetles, the caterpillars of the Oithona Tiger Moth and some herbivores feed on the leaves. However, the seeds of Everlasting Sweet Pea are poisonous.

The flowers are followed by hairless flattened seedpods, about two inches long and half an inch wide, with several seeds inside. The seedpod, which is initially green, gradually turns brown, splitting open into curled segments, flinging out the seeds.

This old heirloom vine was grown by Thomas Jefferson and it also known as Perennial Pea-vine, Everlasting Peavine, and Perennial Sweet Pea.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Obedient Plant

Posted on July 28, 2023 by tspuckler

This is a neat species of flowering plant that is in the Mint Family. It is native to North America, where it is distributed from eastern Canada to northern Mexico.

Sometimes known as “False Dragonhead,” it is more known commonly as Obedient Plant, because when a flower is pushed to one side, it will often stay in that position.

It grows 3 to 4 feet tall and forms dense spikes of white, pink or lavender flowers. Its leaves are opposite, stalkless, narrowly lance-shaped, sharply toothed and up to five inches long.

Obedient Plant occurs in the moist soils of fields, prairies, thickets, woodland openings and borders, along rivers and streams, and lakesides. It is commonly sold as a garden plant.

A sure sign of Summer is seeing the attractive upright spikes of snapdragon-like flowers abundantly borne atop this robust perennial.

Its very attractive flowers persist for a month or more from late Summer into early Fall. The flowers are often visited by by Hummingbirds, Bumble Bees and Carpenter Bees.

As one of our most handsome native mints, it’s hard not to enjoy the beauty of the Obedient Plant.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Strawberry Bush

Posted on December 23, 2022 by tspuckler

I came across this odd shrub while hiking along the Cache River in southern Illinois in October. This is a native deciduous woody plant that grows 6 to 12 feet tall. It can often be found growing along streams, with its roots anchored in damp, rich soil.

Throughout most of the year the Strawberry Bush lives in obscurity. Even when it is in full bloom, its small yellowish-green blooms are so inconspicuous that they remain hidden in full sight.

During Spring and Summer, the Strawberry Bush is cloaked in lance-shaped leaves. Its seeds are borne in one-inch, warty capsules that typically contain four to five berries. As Summer progresses, the green capsules grow and eventually turn pinkish red.

Sometime during September and October, the capsules split, revealing scarlet-red berries hanging on thread-like filaments. The appearance of the open capsules and red berries apparently gave rise to one of the plant’s alternate names, “Hearts-a-bursting.”

Strawberry Bush’s red, pulpy seeds are devoured by songbirds such as the Eastern Bluebird, Wood Thrush and Northern Mockingbird. Wild Turkeys and small mammals also dine on the red berries.

Early colonists considered the plant so beautiful that it became one of the first North American plants sent back to Europe for use in ornamental gardens in as early as 1663.

The Strawberry Bush is also known as Wahoo, Burning Bush, Bursting Heart and Hearts-bustin’-with-love.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Hawkweed

Posted on September 16, 2022 by tspuckler

This is a species that I recently found growing in my front lawn. I have also noticed it in bloom in a few of the local metroparks.

Hawkweed is a fibrous-rooted perennial with upright stems and small, dandelion-like flower heads in loose clusters. A European species, it is invasive in northwestern and northeastern North America.

This plant is found mostly in open fields, mountain meadows, forest clearings, permanent pastures, cleared timber units, abandoned farmland, roadsides and other disturbed areas. It is typically encountered where soil is well-drained, coarse-textured and low in nutrients.

Hawkweed, with their 10,000+ recorded species and subspecies, do their part to make the Aster Family the second largest family of flowering plants. I mostly see all-yellow types and orange types – their flowers are less than one inch across.

Its two-to-five-inch leaves mostly surround the base of the plant and are pointed or rounded at the tip and toothless. All parts of Hawkweed are conspicuously hairy and like Dandelion, will exude a white milky sap when broken.

Since most Hawkweed reproduce exclusively asexually by means of seeds that are genetically identical to their mother plant, clones or populations that consist of genetically identical plants are formed.

This plant is also known as Devil’s Paintbrush, Red daisy and Orange King-devil.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Dame’s Rocket

Posted on July 15, 2022 by tspuckler

This non-native species is hard to ignore. It has even established itself on our backyard. Dame’s Rocket, also known as Dame’s Violet and Mother-of-the-evening, was introduced as an ornamental around the time of European settlement.

Dame’s Rocket bears loose clusters of attractive, fragrant, pinkish-purple to white four-petaled flowers on two-to-four foot stems. Its leaves are arranged alternately on the stem and are slightly hairy and lance-shaped with toothed margins.

This plant’s habitat includes open woodlands, prairies, roadsides, ditches and other disturbed areas. The plant’s three-month-long blooming period and ability to set abundant seed have contributed to its spread. A single plant produces up to 20,000 seeds.

Dame’s Rocket is often confused with Garden Phlox, because the flower colors, clustered blooms and bloom time are similar. However, Garden Phlox has flowers with five petals (Dame’s Rocket has four).

Although problematic because is displaces native plants and it considered an invasive species (five states have placed legal restrictions on it), this member of the Mustard Family is a food source for caterpillars as well as a nectar source for bees, butterflies, moths and hummingbirds.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Tim Spuckler's Blog

Reptile Ramblings and More

Category Archives: Wildflowers – Summer

Sawtooth Sunflower

Swamp Rose

American Lotus

Sow Thistle

Bluet

Everlasting Sweet Pea

Obedient Plant

Strawberry Bush

Hawkweed

Dame’s Rocket