If you missed the stewardship workday last Saturday at Blue Heron Environmental Area, here is a glimpse… but you’ll have to come next time to see for yourself! This park has some of our highest quality plant communities, with relatively low numbers of non-native, invasive plant species. During the stewardship workday, we tried to keep it that way. We found small patches of multiflora rose, oriental bittersweet, and barberry scattered throughout the woods. We did find some large glossy buckthorn around the ponds at this park. We’ll keep an eye on them in the future.

Along the way we found lots of cool native plants. Check out the pictures!

Wing-stem, Verbena alternifolia

Dewy spiderweb on a goldenrod inflorescence.

Burr oak (Quercus macrocarpa) acorn.

One of our native, perennial sunflowers, Helianthus giganteus.

Spicebush, Lindera benzoin. If you crush a leaf, it has a very pleasant odor.

A neat find: Stoneroot, Collinsonia canadensis. The flowers are crazy looking (see next picture).

The flowers of Collinsia canadensis.

Flowers of hog peanut (Amphicarpaea bracteata)

Bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia)

Volunteers at the workday on Saturday: Jim, Debbie, and Mary. Way to go team!