Blue Lettuce; Lactuca biennis

Aster Family The leaves of this plant have a sticky white juice, so don't mix these lettuce leaves with your salad! I found these blooming at Big Ridge State Park. Biennial Where seen:Oak Ridge Greenways, Big Ridge State Park, Great Smoky Mountains NP

Tall Ironweed; Vernonia altissima

Aster Family These flowers are composites, note the tiny individual flowers in different blooming stages, the buds (right), and the brown developing seeds (lower left). The brilliant purple adds beautiful color to late summer and early fall fields and roadsides. This Ironweed plant was blooming at Cove Lake State Park in late August. The "butterfly" is a Silver-spotted Skipper. Skippers have down-turned knobs on their antennae, butterflies have rounded or cylindrical knobs. Perennial Where seen: Oak Ridge Greenways, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Warriors' Path SP, widespread

Purple Coneflower; Echinacea purpurea

Aster Family Yes, this is the echinacea of medicinal "fame." The disk flowers in the center are very stiff and spiny, giving the plant its' genus name. "Echino" means spiny. These were photographed at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. Perennial Where seen: University of Tennessee Arboretum, Big South Fork NRRA

Catmint; Nepeta; Nepeta x faassenii*

Mint Family Height: 6" to 24" June 4, 2005 This really was a roadside plant, I found it growing by a bridge on a walking trail along Melton Hill Drive in Oak Ridge. The individual flowers of this plant are pretty with the purple spots. Catnip flowers can be white or pale violet, they have purple dots on the lip. The leaves have small hairs which give them a grayish look, this is a good field identification trait. I smelled a leaf, it is aromatic, but not especially pleasant for a mint. Being a serious cat-allergy sufferer, I avoid them as much as possible, so I've never seen a cat under the influence of Catnip. However, I've heard that they love it and it makes them act crazy. One website I checked stated that Catnip contains nepetalactone, which could be considered "a legal recreational drug for cats"! This plant is not as inticing to cats as true Catnip. Perennial Where seen: Oak Ridge

This bumblebee is drinking nectar from a Passionflower. When she touches the back of her thorax on the anthers she is loaded with pollen. As she flies from flower to flower she pollinates the knobbed, downward drooping pistils. Click on the picture to enlarge it, look at the pollen on the bee's thorax and on the pistils. Read more about the stamens on the following photo.

Close-up of Viper's Bugloss flowers

Chicory; Blue Sailors; Cichorium intybus*

Aster Family Chicory flowers bloom blue in the morning and turn white and close by evening. This plant was brought to North America by the European settlers as a food source. The dried, roasted, ground roots can be used as a coffee substitute. Perennial Where seen: Oak Ridge, Great Smoky Mountains NP, widespread

Hollow Joe Pye Weed; Eupatorium fistulosum

Aster Family The leaves of Joe Pye Weed are whorled around the stem. Perennial Where seen: Oak Ridge Greenways

Dense Blazing Star; Liatris spicata

Composite Family Corbin, KY August 1, 2008 This male Tiger Swallowtail butterfly is drinking nectar from these blazing star plants. Like many other members of the Composite family they are good nectar flowers, each tiny bloom produces a small amount of food for the butterflies, moths, and bees.

Clammy Cuphea; Wax Weed; Cuphea viscosissima

Loosestrife Family I was excited to find this flower along the road at Big South Fork (while I was looking at another flower); I had just read about it in one of my identification books. What good timing! It is very sticky which is why it is called "clammy" in the common name, "viscosissima" in the species name. Note the tiny hairs on the flower. Annual Where seen: Great Smoky Mountains NP, Big South Fork NRRA, Warriors' Path SP

Passionflower; Maypop; Apricot Vine; Passiflora incarnata

Passionflower Family This unusual flower is the State Wildflower of Tennessee. The Native American name for this flower is "Ocoee." The common name comes from the crucifixion story. The three pistils represent the nails driven into Christ's hands and feet, the five anthers = the wounds, the long thin corona = the crown of thorns placed on His head, the ten sepals and petals = the 10 faithful Disciples, the tri-pointed leaves represent the spear, and the tendrils = the whips. The small green sphere below the pistils will become the fruit. This picture was taken in Oak Ridge in August. Above view of flower follows. Perennial Where seen: Oak Ridge Greenways, Great Smoky Mountain NP, Warrior's Path SP

Small Forget-Me-Not; Myosotis laxa

Forget-Me-Not Family Roan Mountain State Park June 22, 2007 These are very tiny flowers, very easy to overlook growing among the other larger plants. It was blooming in a low wet area behind a picnic shelter and restroom.

Leafy Elephant's Foot; Carolina Tobaccoweed; Elephantopus carolinianus

Aster Family I have no idea why this is called "Elephant Foot!" A closely related flower, with large basal leaves, is called "Devil's Grandmother!" Some plants have very strange names. These were found in Oak Ridge. These are interesting little flowers when observed closely, these are made up of four individual flowers each. The plant is in the Composite Family. Perennial Where seen: Oak Ridge Greenways, University of Tennessee Arboretum, Big South Fork NRRA, Big Ridge SP, Pickett SP, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Warriors' Path SP

Joe Pye Weed - close-up; Eupatorium

spp. /Aster Family Joe Pye was a Native American herbal healer. These plants are very prevalent in fields and along roadsides in late summer and early fall. I found this one in Oak Ridge. Perennial Where seen: University of Tennessee Arboretum, Big South Fork NRRA, Oak Ridge Greenways, Haw Ridge Greenways, Frozen Head SP, Cove Lake SP, Norris Dam SP, Pickett SP

Dense Blazing Star

close-up of flowers Like all Blazing Stars, the flowers bloom from the top to the bottom of the stalk. It is easy to see the individual florets in each little "bouquet". Each little purple flower has both male and female parts, so each one can produce a single seed.

While I was looking at the newly-opened Passionflowers in my parents' yard in Florida one morning I saw something amazing. The stamens are inverted (the 3 bright yellow ones) when the bud blooms, as the petals, stamens (pointed) and fringed corona opens, the hinged stamens flip over (note the hinges on the 2 flipped anthers on the left). This happens very quickly. I got a movie of them flipping, I hope to get it put on this website soon!

Note the extra-floral nectaries (little green nodules) on the sepals of the Passionflower bud. They produce nectar to attract ants to protect the plant from Gluf Fritillary caterpillars and other leaf-eating insects. (See next photo for more information)

Virginia Dayflower; Commelina virginica

Spiderwort Family I found these pretty blue flowers blooming along the shore of Norris Lake at Big Ridge State Park. Note the difference between this flower and the previous flower, this one has the third blue petal. I found these blooming at 1:15 p.m., they soon wilted. Perennial Where seen: Big Ridge SP, Great Smoky Mountains NP

Tall Ironweed; Vernonia gigantea

Aster Family These flowers are composites, note the tiny individual flowers. The brilliant purple adds beautiful color to late summer and early fall fields and roadsides. This Ironweed plant was blooming at Cove Lake State Park in late August. Perennial Where seen: Oak Ridge Greenways, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Frozen Head SP, University of Tennessee Arboretum, widespread Formerly known as: Vernonia altissima

Chicory; Blue Sailors; Cichorium intybus*

Aster Family (INN) Rank 3 These plants were brought to the New World by Europeans to be used as a food source. Chicory is a common roadside plant. These were found at Tremont in the Smokies in early July. Perennial Where seen: Oak Ridge, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Warriors' Path SP, widespread

Ageratum; Mistflower; Eupatorium coelestinum

Aster Family These were found blooming in Oak Ridge in July. This plant is in the Composite family. Perennial Where seen: Oak Ridge, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Warriors' Path SP, widespread {Also known as Conoclinium coelestinum}

The Passionflower is the host plant for the Gulf Fritillary Butterfly. The plant has evolved extra-floral nectaries on the flower sepals and leaf bases to attract ants (see previous photo). Not to be outsmarted by a plant, this butterfly is laying one of her eggs on the end of the vine's tendrils. By the time the caterpillar eats its' way to the end of the tendril, it should be large enough to not be eaten by the ants. Isn't nature amazing?!

Asiatic Dayflower; Commelina communis*

Spiderwort Family Individual Dayflowers last as long as their name implies, one day. Linneas named this plant for the Commelin brothers, although he was a great scientist, he had quite a sense of humor. There were three brothers who were botanists, only two of them made a name for themselves. The flowers have three petals, but only two of them are showy and noticible, kind of like the Commelin brothers! I took this picture in front of the dorm at Tremont in the Smokies. The showy yellow "fake anthers" are attention getters to attract bees, the true pollen-producing anthers are the two long ones below the flower. Annual Where seen: Oak Ridge, Great Smoky Mountains NP