Common St. John’s Wort wildflowers are blooming all over Cape Cod. You can see them along the trails and roadsides. I took this photograph at Fort Hill on the side of one of the hiking trails. I loved how the sunlight caught it.
They are a bushy branching plant with many 5-petaled dark yellow 1″ flowers and many prominent stamens. They grow to about 1-2 1/2 feet from June through September.
Have you ever seen a Common St. John’s Wort wildflower?
If you park in the first lot at Fort Hill, you can see this beautiful Common Tansy by the side of the lot. I have never seen it before, so it was a big treat to take some photographs and then do some research.
Common Tansy are tiny, yellow button-like flowers which grow in flat-topped clusters. They grow to about 3′ erect and are colony-forming. The leaves are dark green and fern-like and aromatic. The scent is similar to that of camphor with hints of rosemary. They grow from July to September.
Caution: They are poisonous so observe them from a distance! The leaves and flowers are toxic if consumed in large quantities; the volatile oil contains toxic compounds including thujone which can cause convulsions and liver and brain damage.
The deep blue Chicory wildflower is blooming abundantly on Cape Cod this summer. Did you know that each flower lasts for only a day?
Chicory grows on a stiff stalk and has numerous stemless flower heads. It looks like the flower grows right on the stalk. The flowers are 1-1 1/2″ and the plant grows from 2-4 feet on roadsides and by the sides of trails from June to October, so you have plenty of time to see them!
Love the rod-like stamens in the center of the flower…
The bright orange Trumpet Creepers are gorgeous and prolific here on Cape Cod this summer. They seem to be everywhere! I took this photograph at Fort Hill on the road to the overlook.
Trumpet Creeper is a woody vine with bright reddish-orange tubular-shaped 5 petaled flowers. The flowers are 2″ with 7-11 in a group and climb to 12 feet from July to September. They are native to this area.
Have you ever seen a Trumpet Creeper? So pretty! They look just like a trumpet!
I have seen these Bouncing Bet wildflowers all around but never knew what they were called until I did a little research. And I had never heard of their name “Bouncing Bet” before, so this was a first for me!
Bouncing Bet wildflowers, also known as Soapwort, have pale pink or lavender to whitish flowers with 5 petals, each having scalloped edges with an indent at the tip. The petals tend to fold back. The flowers form a cluster on a stiff stalk. They grow on open areas and roadsides, which is where I saw them overlooking Boat Meadow Creek, from July to September.
So pretty, don’t you think? Have you ever seen a Bouncing Bet?
