Old Field/Meadow Findings

1) Blue Jay

(Passeriformes, Corvidae, Cyanocitta cristata)

-omnivorous songbird

-has a pronounced crest on the top of its head

-the blue if its feathers result from light interference

2) Tall Sunflower

(Asterales, Asteraceae, Helianthus giganteus L.)

-flowers large with ray florets golden yellow and disk yellow to dull yellow

-Stem rough and slightly tinged with red

-most commonly found in swampy soils or wet woodlands

3) Closed Gentian

(Gentianales, Gentianaceae, Gentiana rubricaulis Schwein.)

-blue flower that blooms in the fall

-leaves are opposi

te; flowers have 5 parts

-likes moist fields and open woods

4) Small, White Aster

(Asterales, Asteraceae, Symphyotrichum lateriflorum)

-very small flowers; plant is 2-5 ft. high

-blooms mainly in the autumn

-can be hard to identify

-flowers have more than 5 parts; fuzzy stems

5) Heath Aster

(Asterales, Asteraceae, Symphyotrichum ericoides)

-also called Good-by Meadow

-white flowers with LOTS of parts

-leaves are narrow and pointed; have hairy stems

-bloom from July to October

6) Waterhorehound/American Bugleweed

(Lamiales, Lamiaceae, Llycopus americanus)

-found in every state except Hawaii and Nevada!

-is in the mint family, but does not have aromatic leaves

-white flowers grow up the stalk

-highly lobed leaves near base (can throw you off!); lightly toothed leaves at the top of the stem

7) New England Aster

(Asterales, Asteraceae, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)

-purple flowers with many parts

-get 2-5 ft. tall

-clasping leaves are smooth

-need full sunlight

8) Mountain Mint

(Lamiales, Lamiceae, Pycnanthemum virginianum)

-green or reddish stems are strongly four-angled and have scattered white hairs along the ridges

-can be a very bushy plant

-have small, white flowers on flattened heads at the ends of the upper stems

-root system creates rhizomes

-leaves are very minty and quite potent