Long Drive to Identify This Plant: July 2022

Recently, while visiting Forks of the Credit Provincial Park, I encountered a plant that I had never seen before.

I took a few, not very precise photos and hoped that I could identify it at home. No luck and even the iNaturalist App was unsure.

Bursting with curiosity, I undertook the two hour round trip journey and returned to the park this morning to have a closer look.

Using the Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, you need three bits of information to settle on an identification.

  • number of petals.

The flowers are numerous but tiny. This photo shows that there are 4.

  • type of leaf

The leaf is so toothed that it is considered “divided”.

  • alternate or opposite leaves

The leaves are alternate on the stem.

This leads to page 145 in Newcomb’s. The plant is Marsh Yellow Cress (Rorippa islandica).

Marsh Yellow Cress (Rorippa islandica)

Other botany:

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Honeysuckle (Lonicera)
Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea stoebe)
Bladder Campion (Silene vulgaris)
Tall Coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata)
Joe-pye-weed (Eutrochium maculatum)
Wayfaring Tree (Viburnum lantana)
Foxglove – Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis)
Deptford Pink (Dianthus armeria)
Heal-all (Prunella vulgaris)
Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata)
Monkey-flower (Mimulus ringens)

Some birds:

House Wren
Great Blue Heron
Red-winged Blackbird (female)
American Redstart (male)
American Goldfinch (male)
Red-winged Blackbird (male)
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Belted Kingfisher (female)
Eastern Kingbird
American Robin (juvenile)
Willow Flycatcher

NATURE POETRY

Black bees on the clover-heads drowsily clinging,
Where tall, feathered grasses and buttercups sway,
And all through the fields a white sprinkle of daisies,
Open-eyed at the setting of day.                                    – Abba Gould Woolson (1838–1921)

Miles Hearn

2 thoughts on “Long Drive to Identify This Plant: July 2022

  1. Catherine Gautry

    Thank you for taking us through the different steps of identifying this plant. You would make an excellent detective, Miles:-)

    Reply
  2. Leah

    Your curiosity got you!! Thanks for that little lesson Miles you made it very easy to follow. I love the shot the the Restart with his tail fanned out!

    Reply

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