It was an overcast, windy day and a perfect day to take a hike on the Silver Spring Trail at the Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary on Cape Cod. It is mostly in the woods along the river and marshes and so pretty.
I saw this pretty little orange wildflower that I had never seen before. I took a lot of photographs and then learned it was a Jewelweed wildflower. The plant itself grows to about 6′ while the flowers are only 1″ and are very unusual looking, somewhat like an orchid. They love to grow in shady marshes and moist woods.
Have you ever seen a Jewelweed wildflower? It looks so tiny on such a big plant.
The Seaside Goldenrod wildflowers are gorgeous this year and blooming all around the salt marshes here on Cape Cod. I never knew that were different kinds of Goldenrod.
Seaside Goldenrod has larger flowers than all other Goldenrod flowers. The flower are small, just .25 to .5″. The bloom from August through November near the salt marshes, so you still have plenty of time to see these beautiful wildflowers!
I took this photograph at Fort Hill in Eastham. The meadows are full of Goldenrod.
If you hike the Silver Spring Trail along the river at the Mass Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, you will see beautiful pink Water-Willow wildflowers all along the sides of the river. They are so pretty.
Water-Willows are a native, aquatic shrub with magenta flowers whose 5 petals grow in whorls where the bright green leaves join the stems. The flowers are small, 1/2-1″ while the plants grow to be 3-9 feet.
I saw these vibrant pink wildflowers flowers a couple of weeks ago. They were spectacular! Have you ever seen a Water-Willow?
There are many pretty Butter and Eggs wildflowers along the trails and roads here on Cape Cod. They are yellow and orange, the colors of “butter and eggs.” They resemble a garden Snapdragon with flowers that are 1/2 -1″. The plants grow from 1-3 feet from July through September, so you still have a little time to find one!
When we moved in this past spring we planted some Rose bushes and Day Lilies in the back yard. They would be pretty and come up each year. But I had to have my favorite flower, the Zinnia. I think they are so pretty and they bloom and bloom and bloom. Now I have so many flowers, I cannot cut them all and put them in my house.
I always get the ones called “Cut & Come Again” because each time you cut a flower, two more will grow and bloom. So,k they multiply and are gorgeous!
Cape Cod daily articles on the wonderful Cape Cod places to hike, experience and photograph. A Cape Cod Outdoor Adventure Series.
