While the trees are beginning to think about settling down and most wildflowers have already gone to seed, there are still some showstoppers out there, providing late-season nector for pollinating insects. Here are a few I saw at Lake Louise last weekend.
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| Many varieties of aster bloom in the fall. |
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| Asters and goldenrod. |
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| It appears that lichen (whch is what this looks like to me) has some form of bloom or way of spreading spores or something. I'll have to do a little research about this. These tiny "flowers" were only about 1 cm tall. |
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| Cardinal flower, like the bird, is named after the robes/hats of Catholic Cardinals. |
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| Fringed Gentian is a true biennial (lives two years, blooming and reproducing only in its second year) and it relies on a mycorrhizal relationship to survive (much like lady slippers) so it should NEVER, EVER, EVER be picked or transplanted. Please! |
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| Close-up of goldenrod (part of the aster family) with a soldier beetle feeding on nectar. |
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| I can't find this in my Michigan wildflower book, but this tiny flower looks a lot like larkspur (bloom and leaves) so I'm guessing it may be in that family. |
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| Another one I can't identify. Very, very small. Maybe the size of a dime. Anyone know what it is? |
What is your favorite autumn flower, wild or domestic?
Nice! I did not see those tiny orange spores. So cool!
I think the blue one is a type of Lobelia (maybe Spiked?) and I think the pink one is Purple Gerardia.