Summer Flowers - Roadsides - Pink, Red, Maroon, Brown
Spotted Knapweed; Centaurea maculosa*
Aster Family This is a common weedy roadside plant. I found these flowers blooming in Oak Ridge in mid-June. Perennial Where seen: Oak Ridge, widespread
Field Thistle; Cirsium discolor
Aster Family This is a common thistle that blooms in the fields along the roadsides. The butterfly is a Red-spotted Purple. Butterflies like the composite flowers, they can get a lot of nectar in a small area! Biennial Where seen: Oak Ridge, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Warriors' Path SP, widespread
Rough Blazing Star; Liatris aspera
Aster Family The Scaly Blazing Star flowers are nearly gone by the time the Rough Blazing Star starts blooming. Don't be fooled by the buds; the rounded bracts look much like unusual flowers before the pink flowers bloom. I watched these plants for many weeks before they finally bloomed in early August! The Cedar Barrens in Oak Ridge is full of these beautiful flowers. Note the pollen on the long anthers of the flowers on the lower right. Remember, these flowers bloom from the top of the plant down. Perennial Where seen: Jefferson Middle School Cedar Barrens
Small-headed Blazing Star; Liatris microcephala
Aster Family There are many species of Blazing Stars in East Tennessee. They are members of the Aster (Daisy) family. These flowers were blooming in August at Big South Fork NRRA. Perennial Where seen: Big South Fork
Cardinal Flower; Lobelia cardinalis
Bluebell Family This is a brilliant red flower that grows near water. It is a favorite of hummingbirds. Many Lobelia species are poisonous to humans and goats if eaten. They contain the toxins lobelamine and lobeline. Perennial Where seen: Oak Ridge Greenways, University of Tennessee Arboretum, Frozen Head SP, Cove Lake SP, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Warriors' Path SP
American Germander; Wood Sage; Teucrium canadense
Mint Family This plant is a member of the Mint Family but it has no smell. Look for the overarching stamens on the flowers and how they hit the heads of bees as they are pollinated. I found these blooming in July 2006 in Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains. Perennial Where seen: Oak Ridge Greenways, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Warriors' Path SP
Tall Thistle; Cirsium altissimum
Aster Family The leaves of this plant are not as thick, stiff, and wicked as they are on some of the other thistles. This flower (or flowers, since it is a Composite) is "softer" than many of its' other relatives. I found this one blooming in late August. A close-up follows. Perennial Where seen: Oak Ridge Greenways, Jefferson Middle School Cedar Barrens, Great Smoky Mountains NP
Tall Thistle; Cirsium altissimum
Aster Family I liked the close-up view of this plant! Note the pollen on some of these flowers. A small black beetle can be seen on the upper flowers. Beetles are "intellectually challenged", so they are attracted to easy-to-eat-at flowers!
Jefferson Middle School Cedar barren in Oak Ridge
Aster Family This area was protected from development by concerned teachers and students. The area has many unusual plants. There are two different types of Blazing Stars, one blooms in July, the other in August.
Spotted Joe Pye Weed; Eupatorium maculatum
Aster Family This is a very tall plant, it can grow up to 7 feet! It is very stately looking in fields and along roadsides. The flowers are composite. This plant was blooming in mid-August in Oak Ridge. Perennial Where seen: Oak Ridge, Frozen Head SP, Norris Dam SP, widespread
close-up
Scarlet Cypress Vine; Ipomoea quamoclit*
Chattanooga, TN July 30, 2006 I remember having this plant growing in my mother's garden when I was a child. I was always fascinated by the brilliant red, star-shaped flowers. This non-native plant is a garden escape that is sometimes found growing in the wild.
Canada Thistle; Cirsium arvense*
Aster Family (INN) Rank 2 Honeybees and bumblebees get a lot of bang for their buck on thistles. Being a composite flower, there are hundreds of tiny florets per plant, each one containing a nectar reward. According to my Wildflowers of Tennessee book, Canada Thistles are rare in Tennessee and only found in Knox and Johnson counties in east TN and Davidson county in middle TN. Now Anderson county can be added to the list! I found these blooming in Oak Ridge on South Illinois Ave. in early June. It was with this flower that I met my numerical goal for this website, it was plant #500! Perennial Where seen: Oak Ridge, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Warriors' Path SP
Aster Family Height: 3'to 5' August 5, 2005 This plant could easily be confused with a thistle or Cocklebur. Cocklebur is monoecious, having staminate (male) flowers on one area of the plant and the pistillate (female) flowers on another area. Burdock and Cockleburs often grow along roadsides and near farm lots where the hooked seeds can cause problems for pets and livestock. I was surprised to find this plant growing on top of Frozen Head Mountain. It may have hitched a ride on a dog's coat. Where seen: Frozen Head SP, Max Patch area of NC, widespread Where seen:
Dense Blazing Star; Liatris spicata
Aster Family This plant was photographed at the University Of Tennessee Trial Gardens on the grounds of the College of Agriculture. Perennial Where seen: University of Tennessee Trial Gardens, Great Smoky Mountains NP
Marsh Fleabane; Pluchea camphorata
Aster Family I found this plant growing in Oak Ridge in a low damp area on the Haw Ridge Trail. It is in the Aster Family. The leaves have a strong odor, thus the species name "camphorata." Annual Where seen: Haw Ridge Greenways, Big Ridge SP, Great Smoky Mountains NP
Crimson Bee Balm; Oswego Tea; Monarda didyma
Mint Family The taste and aroma of Earl Grey tea comes from Bergamot leaves. This picture was taken at Newfound Gap in the Smokies in mid-July. Perennial Where seen: Great Smoky Mountains NP, Cherokee National Forest
Milkwort Family July 10, 2006 I had spotted a patch of American Germander in a field at the far end of Cades Cove. After photographing those flowers, I saw these as I was walking back to the car. I'd seen these flowers in Florida. The following photo shows the tiny idividual flowers from the top. Annual Where seen: Great Smoky Mountains NP
Bull Thistle; Cirsium vulgare*
Aster Family(INN) Rank 2 These flowers are pretty, but enjoy them from a distance! It is not hard to see why Scotland has this flower as its National Flower. Legend has it that invaders who tried to sneak up barefooted on a group of sleeping soldiers gave themselves away when one of them stepped on a thistle! I found this one blooming in Oak Ridge in early August. Note the little green Ambush Bug on the spiny part of the flower waiting for a tasty meal! Biennial Perennial Where seen: Oak Ridge Greenways, Great Smoky Mountains NP, widespread
Scaly Blazing Star; Liatris squarrosa
Aster Family Blazing Stars are fascinating Composites. These plants are "upside-down bloomers," they bloom from the top of the stalk down, rather than vice versa. Butterflies and some day-flying moths really like these flowers. I found these flowers blooming in a cedar barrens in Oak Ridge in mid-July. Perennial Where seen: Jefferson Middle School Cedar Barrens, Great Smoky Mountains NP
Cylindric Blazing Star; Liatris cylindracea
Aster Family Rare - Threatened in TN This plant was photographed at Metcalf Bottoms in the Smokies in September 2003. This is one of my first pictures with my Sony camera! If I run across this kind of flower again, I'll get a better picture! Perennial Where seen: Great Smoky Mountains NP
close-up
Purple Bergamot; Monarda media
Mint Family This rare species of Monarda is found in Monroe and Polk counties in Tennessee. I found this one blooming in the high elevations in late July in the Cherokee National Forest. Perennial Where seen: Cherokee National Forest, Great Smoky Mountains NP
- close-up See previous entry for a description.