Show your prairie plants

[cohan]

Perhaps I should explain... the Canadian prairies are largely grassland, but intermixed with stands of somewhat stunted trees and/or shrubs where ever they can exist... even in the most open areas, trees/shrubs still grow in the coulees and along watercourses and drainages.  I hope that helps to give a mental picture... ?

Some more species that occur all across our prairies, from the same locale as the other wild photos I've shown:
1) Allium textile
2, 3) Early yellow locoweed, Oxytropis sericea.  These were in bloom in the yard quite a bit earlier.  (The second photo shows it growing in association with Smilacina stellata... as I mentioned, the latter does not require moist areas.)
4, 5) Hedysarum boreale var. boreale starting to bloom.  Oddly enough, my plant out along the fence, though much more robust, is lagging behind these in flowering.  The seedheads are Pulsatilla patens.

Some of the ubiquitous prairie shrubs...
6, 7, 8 ) Saskatoon berry, Amelanchier alnifolia, with berries starting to form.
9, 10) Also perfuming the air in this season, chokecherry, Prunus pennsylvanica virginiana* on the left and wolf-willow (Elaeagnus commutata) on the right.  The single-stemmed, tree-form chokecherry in our yard is looking good now.  (I almost wish it looked awful so there'd be an excuse to cut it down - I hate crawling under it to cut out the suckers!  I wish the nursery people would understand that they want to be thickets - not trees!! - and graft them onto a nonsuckering base.  Oh well, it was here when we moved in and it is a fine specimen.)

*Oops, I'm getting the name mixed up with pin cherry.

great to see these--where is this location?
more confirmation of my mostly non-prairie flora--of these, the only things found in my immediate area are the woodies (and no elaeagnus for a few miles around, at least)-though i'm starting my backroad bicycle botanising  earlier this year-maybe tomorrow if its not too rainy!-so i am hoping for some surprises--last year i only started in august, and still found a lot of surprises..
here, amelanchier doesn't usually grow fully exposed (though they can be right at the edge of bush or thickets), though both cherries mostly stay away from the semi shady areas-usually seen in ditches/roadsides--open areas here are either grazed or hayed or plowed...

[Ragged Robin]

backroad bicycle botanising

Great idea and title for a thread Cohan, looking forward to coming along  

[Graham Catlow]

The subject said "Show your prairie plants", so here are some that occur across the Canadian prairies.
1-7) Penstemon nitidus, blooming in the front yard, on the south-facing slope.  It's locally native but I don't believe it's in bloom in the river valley yet.
8, 9) Viola canadensis var. rugulosa, also in the yard.
10) The Geum triflorum along the river are more vividly coloured than the ones I grow.

Lori,
You are correct in your previous post when you said Penstemon nitidus is gorgeous  . I must see if it's available in the UK.

Graham

[Lori S.]

Graham, if you would like to try it from seed, I can send you some - I'll see if I still have any from last year.  Failing that, I'll be collecting more in late summer, and I always send it to the seedexes.

[Graham Catlow]

Graham, if you would like to try it from seed, I can send you some - I'll see if I still have any from last year.  Failing that, I'll be collecting more in late summer, and I always send it to the seedexes.

Hi Lori,
I would like to give it a try from seed, many thanks for the offer. I can't find it for sale here in the UK; Google or RHS Plant finder.

Graham

[cohan]

backroad bicycle botanising

Great idea and title for a thread Cohan, looking forward to coming along  

lol--that's what i was thinking as i typed it... i went out today for the first time--not too many exciting plants--i was hoping for dodecatheon, as i've seen a patch from the car, and didn't find any..but a few nice things, and it was nice to be out--prob be a bit sore tomorrow after not having been on the bike since fall

[Lori S.]

Thanks, Robin.
Cohan, the photos from the wild are all from the "nature" park along the Bow River here in NW Calgary, through which the bike path that I take to and from work runs.
Some more...
1 - 6) I'm not certain if these photos are of two different oxytropis species, or one.  I think Oxytropis viscida is one of them, maybe all of them... ?  Anyway, they seem to be oxytropis from the absence of leaves on the stems; I'll have to dissect some flowers and count leaves to be sure... if even then.     Quite lovely, whatever they are.  The flowers on some have faded to the most unusual shade of blue.
7) A very attractive potentilla... must try to figure out what it is.
8, 9) Wolf-willow, Elaeagnus commutata... the little yellow four-petalled flowers are almost insignificant but have a delicious, sweet, heavy scent! (Forgive the fuzzy photos - the wind was howling that day.)
10) And, not so advanced in the wild yet, but budding out in the yard, Zigadenus elegans (or whatever it's called these days!)

And that's it, until the next time I take my camera along!

[cohan]

Thanks, Robin.
Cohan, the photos from the wild are all from the "nature" park along the Bow River here in NW Calgary, through which the bike path that I take to and from work runs.
Some more...
1 - 6) I'm not certain if these photos are of two different oxytropis species, or one.  I think Oxytropis viscida is one of them, maybe all of them... ?  Anyway, they seem to be oxytropis from the absence of leaves on the stems; I'll have to dissect some flowers and count leaves to be sure... if even then.     Quite lovely, whatever they are.  The flowers on some have faded to the most unusual shade of blue.
7) A very attractive potentilla... must try to figure out what it is.
8, 9) Wolf-willow, Elaeagnus commutata... the little yellow four-petalled flowers are almost insignificant but have a delicious, sweet, heavy scent! (Forgive the fuzzy photos - the wind was howling that day.)
10) And, not so advanced in the wild yet, but budding out in the yard, Zigadenus elegans (or whatever it's called these days!)

And that's it, until the next time I take my camera along!

really nice oxys and potentilla! nice route to work
my ideal situation would be to have the boreal forest behind the house and prairie in front...lol
err--that's the ideal cold climate situation...lol

[Lori S.]

my ideal situation would be to have the boreal forest behind the house and prairie in front...lol

Yeah!!
 

err--that's the ideal cold climate situation...lol

 
 Yeah, a tropical beach in front might be okay too. 

[cohan]

my ideal situation would be to have the boreal forest behind the house and prairie in front...lol

Yeah!!
 

err--that's the ideal cold climate situation...lol

 
 Yeah, a tropical beach in front might be okay too. 

i once saw a photo from one of the smaller caribbean islands, taken somewhere in the interior at a fair altitude--there was a cute little house surrounded on all sides by waist to chest high flowering plants and shrubs--with, i think mountains and forest farther back...that seemed about perfect--nice highland air, fertile soil, not too hot or cold, well watered... at least that's how i remember/imagine it...lol

[Lesley Cox]

backroad bicycle botanising

Great idea and title for a thread Cohan, looking forward to coming along  

Well that's pretty much what Stellan and the Travel Giraffe do isn't it?

[Lesley Cox]

Lori, your Penstemon nitidus is a real beauty and I'm wondering how much it varies. A nursery friend grew a batch from seed a couple of years ago and while the plants are generally similar in height, the flowers were from a lovely jewel-like blue, like yours, to pale lavender-blue, soft sky blues and even an almost greeny aquamarine shade, exceptionally lovely. I don't know the source of her seed but probably someone like Ratko.

What's the little blue plant on the ground in pic #2? A veronica maybe?

[Lori S.]

Yes, Lesley, mine are very variable too, from different flower stalks to different flowers on the same stalk - sky blue to indigo to pink and purple shades!    By the way, I collect a ton of seeds from them every year, so anyone who is interested in seed should just let me know.

Yes, the plant in the foreground is Veronica liwanensis x pectinata 'Reavis', which gets to about 2" tall.  Here's a better shot of it - same plant, now in fuller bloom.

[Lori S.]

If anyone cares (probably not!  ), the plants I referred to as "oxytropis" are indeed that.
Here's are some photos to show the pointed keel of oxytropis, the keel being the petal structure that is nestled between the lower dual "wing" petals, and is shaped like a boat's keel (Canadians, picture the end of a canoe  ).  (I had the pleasure of touring the absolutely fascinating garden of a professional botanist this weekend, and he very kindly showed me the difference between the pointed keel of oxytropis and the rounded keel of astragalus!  I finally understand it!)  Unfortunately, I don't have an astragalus flower handy to pull apart to show the difference, but the little point would be absent and the end of the keel smoothly rounded instead.

1) Head-on view to show keel in the center, exposed by pulling lower wing petals apart. (The dark pink prong is the "pointed keel".)
2) Side view to show pointed keel in center of wing petals.
3) Another side view of pointed keel, with wing petals pulled back.

Ah ha, the secret is revealed!!  

 

[Lesley Cox]

The Veronica is a little honey. I had pectinata once. Don't know what happened to it. Not now.
I like the middle pic of the oxytropis flower. Tiny mouse with large pink ears.