Category: Flowers

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 9/9/12 Observation Time: 3:15 p.m. Observation Location: Sandy Ridge Circle Common Name: White Baneberry, or Doll’s Eyes Scientific Name: Actaea pachypoda Comments: Both the berries and the entire plant are considered poisonous to humans. The berries contain cardiogenic toxins which can have an immediate sedative effect on human cardiac muscle tissue, and are the most poisonous part of the plant. Ingestion […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 8/24/09 Observation Time: 12:30 p.m. Observation Location: Margin of wetland behind Hunter’s Ridge Common Name: White Baneberry (a.k.a. “Doll’s Eyes”) Scientific Name: Actaea pachypoda Comments: Needs continuously damp soil. Seeds, which are highly toxic, were once used as eyes for rag dolls. More Information: Dave’s Garden

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/13/13 Observation Time: 11:30 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Common Name: Water Shield Scientific Name: Brasenia schreberi Comments: Leaf floats like a water lily, but the stem is attached in middle. More Information: USDA Forest Service

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 9/12/09 Observation Time: 11:30 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond (near the dam) Common Name: Water Lily Scientific Name: Nymphaea odorata Comments: It usually flowers only from early morning until noon. The black specks in the first photo might be black aphids. More Information: The University of Texas at Austin

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/6/11 Observation Time: 1:15 p.m. Observation Location: bank of Beaver Brook (near tennis courts) Common Name: Water Forget-Me-Not Scientific Name: Myosotis scorpioides Comments: Water forget-me-nots are usually found in damp or wet habitats, such as bogs, ponds, streams, ditches, fen and rivers. While it favors wet ground, it can survive submerged in water, and often can form floating rafts. More Information: […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/31/10 Observation Time: 10:40 a.m. Observation Location: Beaver Brook near tennis courts Common Name: Sweet Pepperbush (Summersweet) Scientific Name: Clethra alnifolia Comments: Very fragrant. More Information: Virginia Native Plant Society

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 9/22/11 Observation Time: 3:25 p.m. Observation Location: field near Gavins Pond Common Name: Sweet Everlasting or Rabbit Tobacco Scientific Name: Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium Comments: This wildflower is a member of a group of daisy-family herbs called cudweeds. Heads never open wider than this. More Information: Wildflowers of the Southeastern US

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/24/10 Observation Time: 3:25 p.m. Observation Location: Beaver Brook near tennis courts Common Name: Swamp azalea Scientific Name: Rhododendron viscosum Comments: This typical wetland shrub is sometimes called the Clammy Azalea because of its very sticky corolla. The species name means sticky in Latin. The flowers appear after the leaves. More Information: University of Texas

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/29/11 Observation Time: 11:30 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road near soccer field parking lot Common Name: Silver Cinquefoil Scientific Name: Potentilla argentea Comments: Curiously, one of the yellow blossoms in the photo has six petals. More Information: Minnesota Wild Flowers

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/9/13 Observation Time: 4:00 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond area Common Name: Rugosa Rose Scientific Name: Rosa rugosa Comments: In late summer, this beautiful flower, which comes from Asia, will become a reddish ball called a rose hip. Rose hips are used for tisanes, jam, jelly, syrup, soup, beverages, pies, bread, wine, and marmalade. They can also be eaten raw, like a berry, […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 9/12/09 Observation Time: 11:20 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Common Name: Purple Loosestrife Scientific Name: Lythrum salicaria L. Comments: Sometimes called “purple plague,” purple loosestrife is an invasive species. Neponset River Watershed Association has a program to propagate and disperse galerucella beetles that eat nothing but purple loosestrife. More Information: The Nature Conservancy

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/4/11 Observation Time: 3:20 p.m. Observation Location: conservation land near Billings Street Common Name: Spotted Wintergreen Scientific Name: Chimaphila maculata Comments: Also called spotted wintergreen, it is endangered in Illinois and Maine. In New York it is considered “Exploitably Vulnerable.” More Information: Wikipedia

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/14 Observation Time: 9:05 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Pink Lady’s Slipper orchid Scientific Name: Cypripedium acaule Comments: Pink lady’s slippers won’t survive if you try to transplant them, so please don’t dig them up. More Information: Wikipedia

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/24/10 Observation Time: 8:25 a.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Rd. Common Name: Peony Scientific Name: Paeonia spp. Comments: Long ago, some observant gardener noticed that ants on peony buds always meant the flowers would open soon. And so a bit of folk wisdom was born: Peonies cannot open until ants eat away the seal that keeps the buds closed. But […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/10 Observation Time: 5:25 p.m. Observation Location: edge of woods by Gavins Pond near soccer fields Common Name: Dewberry Scientific Name: Rubus flagellaris Comments: Dewberries are found in the eastern half of North America. Indians prepared a tea using northern dewberry roots to calm stomach irritation. The fruits are large and tasty. They can be eaten raw or used in jams, […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/13/14 Observation Time: 8:05 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: May apple Scientific Name: Podophyllum peltatum Comments: Check out this well-written blog about May apples:  66 SQUARE FEET (PLUS) blog

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 8/3/10 Observation Time: 9:45 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Common Name: Little Floatingheart Scientific Name: Nymphoides cordata Comments: The little floatinghearts are the smaller, darker, heart-shaped floating pads visible in the photo among the bigger, greener rounder water lilies. The small, five-petalled white flowers are those of little floatingheart. Water lilies have much bigger floating blossoms (see photo taken September […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/15/13 Observation Time: 6:20 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond area Common Name: Lanceleaf Tickseed Scientific Name: Coreopsis lanceolata More Information: Go Botany

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/24/10 Observation Time: 7:50 a.m. Observation Location: near Gavins Pond outflow pool Common Name: Jewelweed Scientific Name: Impatiens capensis Comments: Jewelweed, which often grows in disturbed areas near poison ivy, is also an antidote for poison ivy. More Information: Altnature.com

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 9/12/09 Observation Time: 11:25 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Common Name: Goldenrod Scientific Name: Solidago sp. Comments: Goldenrod gets a bad rap as a cause of autumn allergies. The real culprit is ragweed. In fact, goldenrod has medicinal properties. More Information: Great Plains Nature Center

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/14/11 Observation Time: 2:10 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Dwarf ginseng Scientific Name: Panax trifolius Comments: This diminutive variety of ginseng has no “medicinal” properties. It blooms in spring and dies back in summer. More Information: US Forest Service

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/28/10 Observation Time: 1:55 p.m. Observation Location: 147 Wolomolopoag St., Sharon Common Name: Daisy Fleabane Scientific Name: Erigeron annuus Comments: Fleabanes get their common name from an old belief that they repelled fleas and other pestiferous insects. Early European settlers in North America stuffed mattresses with fleabane and hung clusters of plants in their cabins to drive out fleas. The […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/23/09 Observation Time: 9:45 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road Common Name: Daisy Fleabane Scientific Name: Erigeron annuus Comments: Fleabanes get their common name from an old belief that they repelled fleas and other pestiferous insects. Early European settlers in North America stuffed mattresses with fleabane and hung clusters of plants in their cabins to drive out fleas. The custom […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/14/09 Observation Time: 11:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm, Trustees of Reservations land Common Name: Celandine Scientific Name: Chelidonium majus More Information: Flora Health Herb Encyclopedia  

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/15/12 Observation Time: 5:00 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Rd. soccer field parking lot Common Name: Bull Thistle Scientific Name: Cirsium vulgare Comments: The beautiful blossom of the bull thistle comes with sharp thorns. More Information: Wikipedia