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toxicojendron radicans @toxicoradica.northsky.social · 04/10/2026

🌸 short's aster 🌿 Symphyotrichum shortii or just called shorties, for short #nativeplants #ecoregion71

a close-up look into the face of a medium-sized composite flower with around a dozen light blue-violet, elliptic ray florets surrounding several dozen light yellow, tubular disk florets with five pointed, spreading lobes. only the outermost series of florets in the flowerhead's disk are blooming; those in the center have yet to open. the blooming disks have a tan & pale yellow striped column rising from their center, a tube of fused stamens through which the style grows. behind this flowerhead, there are many buds still enclosed within narrow, light green phyllaries.

small, green, elliptic leaf bracts line several panicle branches that run across the bottom of the photo. one of these stems terminates at the base of a blooming flowerhead, seen from the side. the base of the flower is between cylindrical and bell-shaped, and covered in several series of narrow, light green phyllaries with darker green pointed tips. the dozen or two pale blue-violet rays lie on a plane not quite perpendicular to our perspective. above the rays, there are several dozen pale yellow disks, out of which grow fused stamen tubes with pale yellow styles running through them, emerging from the top of the anthers and splitting into two short pale yellow or pale purple stigmas.

two short's asters growing in between fallen tree branches on the forest floor. one runs off towards the bottom left, the other the bottom right. the leaves low on the stems are long & heart-shaped, with long leafstems. further up, the stems develop into a long terminal panicle. the leaves become progressively smaller, grading into lance-shaped bracts. numerous small, slender raceme-like branches angle off the main stem, each terminating in a flowerhead or bud; even smaller sub-branches fork off occasionally too. the flowerheads have up to a couple dozen elliptic, very pale blue-violet rays and a pale yellow disk.

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toxicojendron radicans @toxicoradica.northsky.social · 29/09/2026

🌸 white turtlehead 🌿 Chelone glabra despite the common name, is not actually related to turtles #nativeplants #ecoregion71

a terminal flowerspike of large, tubular, bilabiate flowers, subtended by four green, lance-shaped leaf bracts. the flowers and buds in this spike have two green sepal-like bracts tucked up tight around their calyces, obscuring some of the actual sepals, which are sightly lighter green & oval. three flowers are in bloom: two facing away, one in best focus facing partially forward but mostly to the right. there is also a large bud nearly ready to open on the left. the corollas are mostly white, but at the tips they have patches of a deep purplish pink particularly on the inside surfaces. the upper lip is helmet-shaped and composed of two shallow lobes separated by a ridge running along the middle of the helmet and a small notch at the tip of the upper lip. the lower lip has three lobes: two lobes on the sides and an elevated, tongue-like lobe in the middle. long white hairs grow on the inner surface of the lower lip.

looking directly into the face of a turtlehead flower. a twig has been used to press down on the tubular, bilabiate flower's lower lip, revealing the reproductive structures usually hidden within the tubular portion of the corolla. the lower lip has two lateral lobes as well as a slightly elevated middle lobe with more pronounced dark pink coloration. long white hairs grow on the inner surface of all three lobes on the lower lip. the helmet-like upper lip is mostly white, only turning pink at its tip. arching just below the upper lip from the back of the flower are four stamens and a single style. two stamens on each side curve like ribs towards the tip of the upper lip. their thick white filaments have dense hairs by the base, but turn smooth further up. the anthers are covered in white fuzzy hairs. the smooth white style runs up the middle, along the top ridge formed where the two upper lobes meet. the stigma barely pokes out above the fuzzy anthers, and is difficult to discern. turtlehead flowers face left & right in the background.

white turtlehead growing at the edge and indeed within a shallow creek running on shale bedrock. short, flat shale and chert rocks sit loose in the water, nowhere near inundation. brown, freshly fallen tree leaves float on the creek or are trapped on the rocks. a fallen tree trunk runs across the photo left to right just behind the prone stem of the turtlehead. the stem would likely stand over waist high if it were upright instead of running just above & frequently resting on slight prominences in the bedrock. the turtlehead's leaves are large, green, and lance-shaped, occuring alternate & at intervals along the stem. the stems of flowerspikes branch by the leaf nodes. half a dozen spikes of large, tubular flowers can be seen in this photo, though some are largely hidden behind leaves. the flowers are mostly white but turn pink at their tips. angled slightly ascending from the spike, their helmet-like upper lips and tongue-like lower lips seem to resemble the outstretched head of a turtle. up to around four or five flowers are blooming from each spike.

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toxicojendron radicans @toxicoradica.northsky.social · 28/09/2026

🌼 ghost pipe 🌿 Monotropa uniflora doesn't photosynthesize, hasn't chlorophyll #nativeplants #ecoregion71

three ghost pipes growing from bare dirt, near moss, on the forest floor. these small flowers each have a slender, waxy white to pale pink stem with occasional white, scale-like leaves with margins starting to turn black. at the top of the stem, not even making it up ankle-high, the stem bends completely over and terminates in a single nodding flower. there are more, larger, and fresher leaves by the top of the stem than in its upright section, all translucent white. the bell-shaped flower has white petals that obscure all reproductive structures within.

a twig has been used to bend one of the ghost pipes over to get a look inside the flower. within the curtain of white petals, there is a large cream white stigma, broad enough to fill most of the area within the petals. stamens with twin, pale yellow anthers are squeezed between the petals and the stigma around its circumference.

a line of six ghost pipes growing in bare dirt on the forest floor. their thin, white to pale pink stems are lined with small, translucent white leaves, especially by the top where the stem bends over sharply. at the end of each stem is a bell-shaped white flower with waxy white petals. the smallest flower is barely above ground; the tallest is still below ankle height.

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toxicojendron radicans @toxicoradica.northsky.social · 22/09/2026

🌼 oval ladies'-tresses 🌿 Spiranthes ovalis var. erostellata #nativeplants #ecoregion71

a flowerspike of tiny white orchid flowers at the top of a green stalk, seen from the side. the flowers are arranged in three columns which twist gently as a triple helix, most pronounced at the top of the spike where none of the flowers are open. one column is out of sight on the far side of the spike; one is mostly facing to the right; and the third is mostly facing forward, slightly to the left. each flower has a leafy bract at its base, cupping the hairy green ovary. the sepals and petals collectively form an apparently bilabial tube-shaped structure lying horizontal. two upper petals with a sepal resting on top across both petals for the 'upper lip' which rises slightly at the tip, while the third petal alone forms the 'bottom lip' which curves down sharply at its tip. the two remaining sepals are held out to the sides where they spread apart slightly.

another angle, a little closer in, which better reveals the spiraling character of the three columns of tiny white orchid flowers. the flowers low on the spike are open, while those above are closed & may not ever open; this variety is capable of self-pollination. this perspective also gives a glimpse down the throat of some of the flowers, where there is a mild greenish tinge. some of the reproductive organs are tucked away in there but nothing can be seen distinctly.

an oval ladies'-tresses growing on the floor of a deciduous hardwood forest, surrounded by the green leaves of violets. its thin green stalk rises from a bed of leaf litter & terminates below knee-height with a spike of tiny white orchid flowers arranged in a triple helix. there is one leaf growing at its base, smooth & shiny green, with entire margins, lance-shaped; a couple similar, though progressively smaller leaves grow at intervals higher on its stalk.

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toxicojendron radicans @toxicoradica.northsky.social · 20/09/2026

💮 pink slender-thoroughwort 🌿 Fleischmannia incarnata #nativeplants #ecoregion71

a small flat-topped panicle of small composite flowers which only have disk florets, no ray florets. around half a dozen flowerheads are blooming; there are additionally a handful of flowerbuds. the plant's green main stem rises from the center bottom of the photo then sprouts two opposite branches of similar thickness to the center stem. new subsidiary branches are starting to develop on all three. the flowerheads are cylindrical, lined with light green phyllaries whose tips often turn red. the corollas of the disk florets are light pink, maybe with a hint of blue. each corolla has five tiny spreading lobes and a tall style that splits in two at its tip.

looking down upon a flat-topped panicle of with half a dozen blooming flowerheads as well as a few faded heads that already went to seed. most of the disk florets on these flowerheads are not yet open, which makes it easier to see those few that have opened up. each disk has light pink corolla with five spreading lobes. most are still developing their styles, but there are a few whose styles have grown well past the end of the corolla & split in two.

pink slender-thoroughwort growing in a field of short grass near a treeline in a limestone cedar glade. its green stem stretchess upward an improbable height given its flimsy appearance (over knee high), leaning strongly to the left. the stem bears alternate leaves, triangular in shape with scalloped margins, set at the end of long leafstems. most of the leaves look wilted; it hasn't rained here in nearly a month and summer has been fierce. at the top of the stem there is a small, flat-topped panicle of light pink flowers.

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toxicojendron radicans @toxicoradica.northsky.social · 11/09/2026

🌸 perennial fuzzybean 🌿 Strophostyles umbellata their beanpods aren't really that fuzzy. but i suppose they are fuzzier than most beanpods anyways 🤷🏼‍♀️ #nativeplants #ecoregion71

close-up look into the face of a bean flower. its banner petal is wider than tall, but almost semicircular, colored light pink. there is a depression in the center bottom of the banner with somewhat darker pink around the edges & near white in the center. the two wing petals are a little darker pink than the banner. they are asymmetric, the left held higher than the right. they embrace the keel petals. the keels are near white at their base but darken to hot pink, to purple at the tips. these two petals are held so close together they resemble a single tissue; they spiral upwards, reaching just above the top of the depression at the center of the banner. a few stamens with pale yellow anthers peek out from between the keels as they twist.

side view of the same flower, with one of the fuzzybean's trifoliate leaves with lance-shaped leaflets on the left. the flower is set at the end of a slowly ascending green stem. got some bugs on its short green calyx. the light pink banner petal leans back around π/4 radians from vertical. two pink wings flank the prominent keels, which are white at the base then transition through pink to purple as the curl upwards.

perennial fuzzybean twining through short recently mown grass in a powercut. the fuzzybean is a vine with trifoliate green leaves with lance-shaped leaflets. the single blooming flower in this photo sits at the end of a fairly long green stem which rises up above the grass & its own leaves. the flower has a light pink banner, pink wings, and keels that run from white to pink to purple at the tips.

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toxicojendron radicans @toxicoradica.northsky.social · 03/09/2026

🌸 tennessee coneflower 🌿 Echinacea tennesseensis fifteen years ago today, tennessee coneflower was delisted from the usa's endangered species list after decades of effort to protect its habitat. only found in the limestone cedar glades of the nashville basin. #nativeplants #ecoregion71

looking face-on at a large composite flower with a dozen oblong, light pink ray florets with 2 points & a notch between at their tips, surrounding a cone of dozens of narrow, dark red disk florets. the disks at the periphery of the cone are done blooming, while those in the very center are still green & haven't started. between those extremes, some disks are capped with little 5-pointed tufts of pale yellow pollen; the floret's five stamens are fused into a tube around the style & as the anthers dry, they shrink, which first pushes pollen out the top of the stamen tube then eventually allows the style's two curly stigmas to hang free. some of the disks are at this stage, their stigmas coated in pollen looking like moth antennae.

a close-up look at the cone of a tennessee coneflower. the peripheral disk florets are the lowest, with each successive series of florets set slightly higher. the green buds in the center more or less share a level right now, but as they mature the height of the cone will increase towards the center. this photo reveals easily overlooked details about the disk florets. each one sits within a V-shaped, spike-like chaffy bract that stands taller than the floret itself. this is especially evident in some of the green buds on the right, adjacent to the innermost row of red, blooming disks. the chaffy bracts of the immature disks are green like the bud, but their tips are red; bract and bud alike redden as they mature. around have a dozen disks near the transition between bud and bloom show their pollen-tipped stamen tubes. further out, the stamens have diminished and the dark red bifurcated styles are the most prominent feature besides the shield-like chaffy bracts. the cone is surrounded by hot pink ray florets.

tennessee coneflower growing between gray fieldstones in a gravel-strewn limestone cedar glade. there are two flowerheads in bloom; the nearer has light pink rays, while the farther is a deeper pink. at the center of each flowerhead is a cone of dark red disk florets. rather than the cone facing the sky as with many other species of coneflower, the stems of these ones nod over partially so the flowerheads face more to the side. they have a rosette of hairy, green, elliptic leaves at their base and a handful of similar leaves on their hairy reddish green stems. for being an arid stony plain, this glade has a fair amount of green vegetation courtesy of recent rains. gumweed, agave, grass, and tennessee coneflower.

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toxicojendron radicans @toxicoradica.northsky.social · 02/09/2026

🌻 tall tickseed 🌿 Anacis tripteris formerly of genus Coreopsis #nativeplants #ecoregion71

looking right in the face of a moderately large composite flower with 7 bright yellow, elliptic, petal-like ray florets surrounding around a dozen blooming, reddish purple, 5-lobed tubular disk florets in a ring around the periphery of the disk. the center of the disk is short and gray, and i dont really know what's going on there. anyways in the middle of each of the blooming disk florets there is a column of brown fused stamens with a little cap of bright yellow pollen at the top. actually if you loom really close, a disk on the left has matured a little more & its stamen tube has shrunk down to reveal the reddish purple bifurcated style that was hiding within. a few small black ants are crawling around the flowerhead.

two tall tickseed flowerheads, one at the end of each of a pair of slim & smooth green stems which branched apart. they have bright yellow, elliptic rays and reddish purple disks. the flowerhead to the left is the same as seen in the previous photo; its stamen tubes have mostly not yet dried out & shrunk enough to uncover the styles within. on the flowerhead to the right, it seems like some of the rays and disks alike have fallen off the receptacle. the base of the disk florets' tubular corollas are yellow then turn deep reddish in the top half. their bifurcated styles are exposed: the styles are yellow below, but turn red where they split into two curly stigmas.

tall tickseed growing along a dirt path in a shady forest. rather than standing tall, its long main stem at first rises, bends over, then curves back up. it has only a few flowerheads, two blooming with bright yellow rays and reddish purple disks. it would probably be happier if it had better access to sunlight! opposite trifoliate leaves run up its smooth green stem, the leaflets green and lance-shaped. after the stem's final upwards turn, however, the leaves are no longer compound.

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toxicojendron radicans @toxicoradica.northsky.social · 01/09/2026

🌸 beechdrops 🌿 Epifagus virginiana obligate parasite epi "upon" fagus "beech" #nativeplants #ecoregion71

a tall raceme with around half a dozen white and purple flowers blooming. the flowering stalk is a pale brownish color with purple streaks; the flowers grow alternate, facing all directions around. each flower is set in a cup-shaped white calyx with five purple lobes that run up the side of the corolla. the tubular, slightly downward-arching corollas are mostly white but have purple streaks along the midline of their four lobes; the top lobe has a particularly thick streak. there are flowerbuds above the blooming flowers on the raceme, and expired flowers below. the background is blurry old fallen tree leaves from last year.

a close-up on a portion of a raceme of 4-lobed, tubular, white and purple flowers. the stalk off which the flowers grow is off-white with purplish vertical streaks. the flowers grow on very short, nearly nonexistent, flowerstems & have white cup-shaped calyces each with five purple lobes. their corollas are white but streaked with purple along the creased midline of its four lobes, especially on the top lobe. four stamens are tucked inside each flower, but they are hard to see even in the few flowers that are facing us; however, the white style with its yellow stigma is easy to see as it tends to stick out just beyond the end of the corolla.

beechdrops growing on a forest floor littered with tan and gray fallen tree leaves from last autumn along with a few sticks. in the background there are trees of small to moderate width with green leaves, a few bushes, but really not much growing on the floor. there are a pair of beechdrops growing next to each other in a patch of moss in the foreground. each has a mess of brown, tan, and pale ascending branches. all the stems are lined with alternate flowers. no part of the plants are green; they completely lack chlorophyll. low on the stems, the flowers have a similar appearance to flowerbuds; they are self-pollinating closed flowers. only a few flowers high on the stems are open flowers that might cross-pollinate. the open flowers angle upwards from their calyces but have gently downward-arching tubular corollas, colored white and purple.

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Reposted by toxicojendron radicans

Nature’s Edge @edge-nature.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #BirdsUpClose — Any bird at close range, allowing you to see their lovely fine details. A Black-chinned Hummingbird demonstrating how salvia plants use hummingbirds to transfer pollen by brushing it on their forehead from the anthers of the flower. 🌿🪶

A hummingbird reaching into a red tubular flower with its long beak and tongue. As it reaches into the flower, the anthers that produce pollen are brushing pollen onto the forehead of the hummingbird, turning the forehead yellow.

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toxicojendron radicans @toxicoradica.northsky.social · 29/08/2026

🌻 smooth oak-leech 🌿 Aureolaria flava the most common common name for this genus "false foxglove" is also the most common common name for genus Agalinis, which is in the same family (Orobanchaceae) 😤 both genera are hemiparasitic. this species prefers white oaks #nativeplants #ecoregion71

a short portion of a lengthy raceme of blooming yellow flowers growing in opposite pairs with green leaf-like bracts at their base, crossing from bottom left to upper right & leaning on a broken stem bearing empty calyces rising from center bottom, with another stem cutting across the bottom left corner bearing round yellow flowerbuds. the buds are a more intense yellow than the softer, lighter blooming flowers. the blooming flowers have tubular corollas which end in five short, rounded, spreading lobes. four stamens with large tan anthers hide within the tube, joined by a long, curving yellow-green style. an empty green calyx in front of the most central blooming flower retains its style, which stands in an S-shape.

more of the same scene but from further back and a slightly different angle. on the bottom left there is a cluster of bright yellow flowerbuds crowned by five-lobed green calyces. from behind those buds another stem ascends to the upper right. low on that raceme there are pairs of large trumpet-shaped, blooming yellow flowers; further up the flowers become younger until they give way to large tubular buds, then tiny egg-shaped buds. all the flowers and buds are subtended by green leaf-like bracts, and are anchored by a green calyx with five pointed spreading lobes. the blooming flowers' long, wide, tubular corollas split into five relatively squat, rounded lobes. inside the corolla tube there are four stamens with large tan anthers and a curving light green style. the background is a blur of green foliage punctuated by upright tree trunks.

a tangle of smooth oak-leech growing in a forest with many bushes and young trees. the oak-leeches have long, branching stems, mostly ascending but sometimes arching, terminate in long racemes lined with pairs of large, yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers. the tallest stems reach head-height. low on the stems, below the flowers, there are opposite green lance-shaped leaves. some of the leaves have smooth margins, others are have undulations especially by the base of the leaf, and those nearest the bottom have deep pinnate lobes (though many of these are hidden from view by higher leaves, some manage to peek through).

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toxicojendron radicans @toxicoradica.northsky.social · 28/08/2026

🌼 stiff cowbane 🌿 Oxypolis rigidior this plant and genus has several common names all of which are shared with plants in other genera or families, or which simply modify the common names of other plants 😤 cowbane, dropwort, pig-potato, hog-fennel #nativeplants #ecoregion71

seen from the side, a terminal compound umbel with around a dozen umbellets each with a dozen or two tiny flowers. the main stem and many little branches are all smooth and green, except at the branch nodes which are white. overall, the compound umbel has a dome-like shape. the tiny flowers have white petals, many of which curl in towards the center. in the middle of each flower is a broad, green pistil. there seem to be a variable number of stamens on the flowers, ranging from zero to five. the stamens have thin white filaments with short, thick white anthers.

a close-up from above looking at some of the tiny flowers, mostly but not all on the same umbellet. the flowers have broad green pistil in the center with a slightly elevated, nipple-like peak in the very middle. five white petals surround the pistil; they start curled inwards and roll out over time but retain a tendency to curve or bow inwards from their apex. they also start life with five stamens, short white filaments with chunky white anthers, but they seem to lose stamens over time. a couple of the flowers here have lil flies on em.

stiff cowbane growing on a damp creekbank in a moist forest. it rained earlier. short green herbs are scattered around the forest floor above a sea of aging tree leaf litter and some moldering fallen branches. the cowbane is taller than any of its neighbors, nearly waist-high. low on its smooth green stem grow alternate odd-pinnate compound leaves. the upper stem is leafless but terminates in a dome-shaped compound umbel with many dozens of tiny white flowers.

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toxicojendron radicans @toxicoradica.northsky.social · 25/08/2026

🌸 glade onion 🌿 Allium sp. maybe Allium cernuum, maybe a narrowly endemic undescribed species #nativeplants #ecoregion71

seen from above and to the side, two smooth reddish purple stems rise together from the bottom left then, nearly at their apex, bend downwards. each then explodes into an umbel of around a dozen flowers or buds on slender reddish purple flowerstems. the blooming flowers have six tepals in two series; the outer three angle outwards, while the inner three are more straight. they are all bright pink at the base but fade towards the tip, generally egg-shaped but cupping inwards. the stamens have long white filaments with anthers that are initially puffy and bright yellow, but in time crinkle up and shrink into a little tan mote. the style is white, very similar in appearance to a stamen minus anther, but often are a bit shorter.

the same two stalks capped with nodding umbels of pink flowers, this time seen from in front but below. the sightly taller stalk on the left has mostly blooming flowers; the shorter stalk on the right mostly egg-shaped buds, light green but turning pink as they approach maturity. from the angle the difference between the outer and inner tepals can be better appreciated: the outer three tepals are more spread, while the inner three are held forward. in the center of the flower there is a green ovary with a white style surrounded by stamens with white filaments and yellow to tan anthers. blurry in the background there is an expanse of grass, yellow blooms of a gumweed (you'll have to take my word for it), a fallen tree, some upright trees, and an overcast but still bright sky.

a pair of glade onions growing in a limestone cedar glade, in a sea of short green grass and darkening, drying, st.-john's-wort. the onions have a few grass-like green leaves at the base, and long, smooth flowering stalks that start green but turn reddish purple with height. at the top, less than knee-high, the stems nod over and terminate in umbels of around a dozen pink flowers.

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toxicojendron radicans @toxicoradica.northsky.social · 23/08/2026

🌼 axil-flower 🌿 Mecardonia acuminata its flowers grow from leaf axils 💁🏼‍♀️ #nativeplants #ecoregion71

a photo of a flower growing among grass. on the right there is a thin, green, ridged stem with narrow, linear to lance-shaped, opposite leaves. a long, slender green flowerstem grows out of a leaf axil, extended mostly straight to the left but rising slightly. at its tip is a tubular flower facing to the left. the flower has a light green calyx with five long, linear lobes that run the entire length of the tubular portion of the corolla they encase, the calyx lobes coming to bluntly acute tips just before the corolla divides into five squarish lobes. the corolla is white but there are a few very faint pink lines running along its tube.

a close-up looking into the face of a small, white flower with a tubular corolla that terminates in five squarish lobes: two on top, two lateral, and one on the bottom with edges bent upwards. there are faint pink lines running out of the tube, fading away partway through the lobes. the upper interior surface of the corolla tube is covered in small pale yellow hairs.

axilflower growing in dense short grass, below knee height. the axilflower has a thin stem with small opposite leaves. flowerstems grow from leaf axils, often stretching out sideways twice as far as their leaf's full length. the slender flowerstems end with a tubular flower that looks a little larger than the stem ought to be able to hold. each flower has light green calyx lobes nearly as long as its white corolla. at the tip, the corolla has a moderate upward tilt & splits into five stubby, spreading lobes.

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toxicojendron radicans @toxicoradica.northsky.social · 22/08/2026

🌻 fewleaf sunflower 🌿 Helianthus occidentalis its stem has few leaves 💁🏼‍♀️ #nativeplants #ecoregion71

looking directly into the face of a composite flower with nearly a dozen and a half long, bright yellow ray florets and dozens of bright yellow disk florets; the outermost several rows of florets in the disk are blooming, while those at the center are still greenish buds. the tubular corollas of the blooming disks have five spreading triangular lobes & in the center, a tube of fused stamens with brown anthers around a bright yellow style that splits into two curly stigmas. at the bottom right, another flowerhead is starting to bloom.

the flowerhead from the previous photo & its budding lil buddy below & to the right, but seen from the side this time. the stems that hold these sunflowers aloft are not smooth, but they're not particularly hairy either, the hairs are short, sparse, and lie close to the stem. at the base of each flowerhead there are four rows of long, tapering green phyllaries that conform to the shape ofnthe flowerhead for the most part, rather than spreading out or bending down. the bright yellow rays on the near flowerhead cup upwards, and the disk is completely obscured. the small, undeveloped rays of the budding flowerhead still touch tips together over the middle of the disk.

a clump of fewleaf sunflowers growing in gravel near a treeline at a limestone cedar glade. the sunflowers actually have plentiful green leaves, but they predominately grow in lush basal rosettes. from the center of the rosettes grow tall stems nearly devoid of leaves; on the tallest stem (growing chest high), in the middle of the photo, there are only two nodes with a pair of small, opposite leaves, and well as a higher few nodes with solitary leaves but branches rising from the leaf axils. these small branches, along with the main stem, terminate in flowerheads, but only the highest one, on the main stem, is blooming. the blooming flowerhead has around a dozen and a half bright yellow elliptic rays and a ring of bright yellow disks surrounding greenish-yellow buds at the center.

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toxicojendron radicans @toxicoradica.northsky.social · 19/08/2026

🌼 southern slender ladies'-tresses 🌿 Spiranthes lacera var. gracilis #nativeplants #ecoregion71

a flowerspike of over two dozen tiny white and green orchid flowers arranged in a dense single file, spiraling counterclockwise up a slender green stem, making three full turns. each flower has a green base which houses the ovary, a white floral tube composed of three petals and one sepal, and two white lateral sepals. inside the mouth of the tube, there is a patch of green on the bottom petal. the tip of the bottom petal hangs down & is ruffled along its edges. above, the two top petals and top sepal turn upward a little at the tip.

a close-up of a short length of a ladies'-tresses flowerspike with nearly a dozen visible orchid flowers, mostly facing to one side or the other; just one flower facing forwards. each flower has a green base, three sepals, and three petals. two petals and one overlapping sepal (all white) on the top of the flower form a not-quite-halfpipe hood over the bottom petal, and turn up slightly at the tip. the large bottom petal forms the bottom half of a floral tube, complementing the petals and sepal above. it is mostly white, especially around the edges, but green in the middle, inside the tube. where visible on flowers facing to the side, the outer surface of the bottom petal is also green. towards the front, the bottom petal curves down and has a frilly margin. two thin, white lateral sepals flank the tube & are held mostly forward but sometimes spreading outwards or down a little.

a southern slender ladies'-tresses orchid growing in knee-high grass in a little prairie patch with a treeline in the near distance. the orchid is about the same height as the grass. its flowering stalk is leafless, and the rosette of leaves that once grew at its base has wilted away. the upper third of the smooth green stalk is a spiraling spike of tiny white and green flowers, a single helix that makes two turns around its axis before the blooming flowers give way to flowerbuds.

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toxicojendron radicans @toxicoradica.northsky.social · 17/08/2026

🌸 kentucky aster 🌿 Symphyotrichum kentuckiense reliably one of the earliest-blooming asters i see around here #nativeplants #ecoregion71

looking into the face of a composite flower with two to three dozen linear ray florets with rounded tips and a similar number of tiny disk florets in the center. each of the rays have long, strap-like corollas, light purple at the tip but turning white getting closer in towards the base, where a thin, bifurcated (but sterile) style emerges from the mouth of the floret. the disks are bright yellow in their tubular corollas as well as their stamen tubes, styles, and pollen. around the very outside edge of the disk where the florets started blooming, a hint of reddish orange is detectable at the base of the florets where they are just starting to turn a bit wilty. below this flowerhead everything blurry, but we can see this & other green stems lined with green leaves running down to a reddish green main stem running from right to left over a void of gray.

a photo from further back with more of the plant in view. a weakly ascending, hairless, reddish main stem barely rises from the lower right to the middle of the photo. it bears a dozen or so linear green leaves out of whose axils spring green stems of varying length, lined with their own smaller linear green leaves or bracts, all of which barely spread away from their stem but rather bending in close. there are several wilted flowerheads, a handful of budding flowerheads, and four in bloom. the base of each blooming flowerhead is lined with long, linear, green involucral bracts that reach up to the spreading rays, even bending over and running out pressed up against the underside of the rays some. the several dozen rays are thin, purple at the tip but white at the base. the disks are bright yellow. the background is slightly better resolved here than in the previous photo; the gray is an expanse of rock, bordered by short grass.

kentucky aster growing in a limestone cedar glade. reddish stems anchored in a patch of short grass arch out sideways over an exposed sheet of limestone bedrock. green branches with thin green leaves rise from the slanted main stems, terminating with flowerheads of light purple to white rays with bright yellow disks. the patch of grass grows where thin soil, windblown detritus, and flood debris have accumulated in cracks and shallows in the rock. in the distance there is a treeline dominated by eastern redcedar.

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toxicojendron radicans @toxicoradica.northsky.social · 13/08/2026

🌼 little ladies'-tresses 🌿 Spiranthes tuberosa my first time running across this species. the genus is a favorite of mine 😌 #nativeplants #ecoregion71

a close-up photo showing a small segment of two spikes of tiny blooming orchid flowers. on each flowerspike the little white flowers form a single-file spiral running up the stalk; the dozen or so flowers in this photo face all directions around the stalk. each flower has three white sepals and three white petals. one sepal on the top of the flower covers the gap between two upper petals, together forming a hood-like covering over the mouth of the flower; all three turn up together at the tip. the bottom petal is larger than the upper two and complements the upper hood structure to form a tube. towards the tip, the bottom petal turns down and develops a frilly margin. two lateral sepals are held mostly forward but spreading slightly, one on each side of the tube formed by the other sepal & petals. each flower had a slight downward cast & has a green bract at its base.

a little ladies'-tresses flowerspike from the lowest flower to the top. low on the stalk the flowers have faded, petals and sepals wilting and turning brown while the green ovary at the base swells. the flowers spiral up the stalk counterclockwise in a single file. the upper quarter of the spike is in bloom, pure white sepals and petals arranged into a gaping tube flanked by outstretched arms.

two little ladies'-tresses growing on forest hillside among sedge and moss, illuminated in a fleck of light filtered through out-of-sight trees overhead. their leafless, slender green stalks terminate in spikes of tiny, spiraling, white flowering that glow in the bright sunlight. several of the miniscule flowers could fit on your fingertip.

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toxicojendron radicans @toxicoradica.northsky.social · 13/08/2026

its seed tick season fyi please hold me in your thoughts and or prayers

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toxicojendron radicans @toxicoradica.northsky.social · 10/08/2026

🌻 rough rosinweed 🌿 Silphium asperrimum there's disagreement about what plant this name applies to and where it even grows. i'm running with: hairy stem, alternate rough leaves, hairy phyllaries, no basal leaves at flowering, east of the mississippi #nativeplants #ecoregion71

two composite flowers, seen face on, right next to each other in a fairly dense panicle where the other flowerheads (all of which are behind these two) are still budding. the flowerhead on the left has four ray florets, while the one on the right has just three. the strap-like corollas are bright yellow & elliptic, with a bright yellow fertile style that divides into two slightly bowing stigmas; their are no discernable stamens. the flowerhead on the left has five disk florets, while the one on the right has just three. the tubular corollas of the disk florets are slightly more orange than the rays. they have five minuscule lobes at their tip that appear to have small hairs. in the center of each disk there is a brown tube formed from five fused stamens, with a long yellow sterile style growing through the middle & waving around far out front; unlike the fertile styles on the rays, these styles do not split in two. slightly spreading hairy green phyllaries are stacked in series at the base of the flowerheads.

a somewhat closer look at the flowerhead on the left from the previous photo, more from the side. it has four bright yellow rays with bifurcated fertile styles and five golden yellow disks with long, undivided sterile styles exserted through a brown stamen tube just within the mouth of the floret. the base of the flowerhead is egg-shaped, lined with fuzzily hairy light green phyllaries with short, slightly darker green tips that spread out to the sides. another blooming flowerhead sits just below, and numerous still-developing flowerheads are clustered close around on short, hairy green flowerstems.

rough rosinweed growing in bare dirt and chert gravel on a hillside in a forest. there's some poison ivy in the background along with other little neighbors. the rosinweed's stem leans over severely but would probably be waist-high if it stood up. large, lance-shaped green leaves grow alternate on the stem, which only branches near the top. these few short branches terminate in clusters of flowerheads, most of which are just buds. those blooming bear only a few rays and disks, but those present are bright yellow.

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toxicojendron radicans @toxicoradica.northsky.social · 07/08/2026

🌷 cranefly orchid 🌿 Tipularia discolor one day i will hit the character limit on the alt text. 631 characters short might be a personal best though not sure #nativeplants #ecoregion71

a very-close-up look at the flower of a cranefly orchid. the flower is asymmetrica, with three sepals and three petals in an unusual configuration. the elliptic, purplish sepals occur at the 1 o'clock, 3 o'clock, and 8 o'clock positions, though the later is twisted and difficult to see, hiding behind one of the two lateral petals which are very similar to the sepals in color and appearance, though smaller. the other lateral petal occurs at the 2 o'clock position. the third petal occurs at the 5 o'clock position and is unique. it divides into three lobes; the two lateral lobes are short and pale green, while the center lobe is longer, purple, with a spoon-like pale green cup at the tip. now please bear with me it is very difficult to get decent pictures of this with a cellphone camera and this is p much the best one i've ever got bc it was in sunlight instead of the usual deep dark forest shade. but there is another structure here, a reproductive column, that i wish to elaborate upon. in the center of the flower is a hole, the access to the long nectar spur behind the flower which is not visible here. at the 11 o'clock position there is a light green structure cupping inwards towards the hole. at the tip of this structure is the pollinaria which distributes sacs of pollen. the cupped section below it functions as a stigma, receiving sacs of pollen.

this photo shows a portion of the middle of a cranefly orchid's flowering stalk, which terminates with a raceme with several dozen flowers. the reddish-purplish main stem bears flowers in all directions around it on slender purplish flowerstems. the flowers have three mostly pale greenish sorta purplish elliptic sepals, two lateral petals similar to but slightly smaller than the sepals, and one unique petal with two small lateral lobes and a much longer central lobe. a hood-like reproductive column sticks out in front of the flower's mouth, which is actually the access to a long nectar spur at the back of the flower, longer even than the flowerstem. blurry trees in the background.

the scapes of nine cranefly orchids rising from the forest floor, strewn with old fallen tree leaves, branches and sticks. the top half of each of the leafless stems is a raceme of dozens of asymmetrical orchid flowers with a long nectar spur at their backs. the flowering stalks blend in pretty well considering they are mostly reddish-purplish. tree trunks rise in the background.

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