July 2016 Column as printed in the Woburn Advocate
It’s July and one of my favorite flowers is in bloom!!! It’s lily time both in your gardens and in the wild. Up on Horn Pond Mountain is where the Philadelphia Wood Lily can be found. It grows on the sunny side of the mountain under the High-tension wires. It is a small, upward facing lily that is hard to spot as there are not very many of them. Some years there are none! This year, however, on my trek up the mountain last week, I spotted seven of them! All single plants scattered around on both sides of the trail. The first one I spotted was only just starting to bloom and alongside it was a stem with a seed pod from last year. The only way you can find these delicate little lilies is to scan the brush for spots of bright orange or red! You would think that would be easy. Well I also spotted a Cardinal and several leaves that were turning red!!! (It has been so dry that many plants are wilting and dropping their leaves already) But eventually I did find them! Had to bushwhack my way to a couple of them. One was along a little side trail. That one was a little more reddish than the others. One even had a little butterfly in it with orange spots that matched the color of the flower. After a little searching on line I found the name. It is a Coral Hairstreak, Latin name Satyrium titus.
Besides these pretty little lilies, there were many other flowers. Before I even got to the base there were huge areas of a little creeping vine-like plant called Crown Vetch filled with pea-like pink & white flowers arranged in a circle like a crown. Just before the turn to head up the mountain is a flower that you will only see if you walk in the morning. The clear sky blue flowers of Chicory are photo-tropic and will fade by midday. There is a large clump here and in many other places around the Pond. At the base of the trail was a whole patch of Yarrow. This white flower has soft feathery leaves and a head made up of lots of tiny flowers. As I headed up the rocky trail there were many other flowers right along the edge of the trail which made it very easy to photograph them! Very convenient for me! Spreading Dogbane is a well branched plant with little white to pinkish bells. Narrow-leaved White-topped Aster, one of the very first Asters to bloom was out in abundance. The tall Blue Vervain had just started to bloom. This plant has thin spikes of blue flowers that bloom from the bottom up. Another spike of flowers I saw was the woody Steeple Bush with its spike of bright pink flowers that bloom from the top down. A smallish shrub called New Jersey Tea with its light airy rounded conical flower heads grows all over this side of the mountain. The dried leaves make a nice tea which was used extensively in Revolutionary War times. We also have fruit growing on this sunny slope. Berries and wild grapes. I doubt anyone will get any ripe grapes (they are still green) between the dry weather and animals they will either shrivel up or get eaten before they are ripe enough for human consumption!
When I reached the top I sat under my favorite oak tree in the shade for a bit. Then I continued across the top via the dirt road. I marveled at the variety of different trees growing up here. At least four different types of oak, both Quaking and Bigtooth Aspen, Gray Birch, European Buckthorn, Pignut Hickory, Red Maple, pine and cedar all can be found. Even with this dry weather we have been having, there was still some water in the old reservoir. It was so hazy at this point that the Boston skyline was barely visible. As I started down the old access road I was back under the trees which offered very much appreciated shade now that the sun was out full. These woods are what’s called ‘Dry Oak/Hickory” woods. Not much for flowers in the woods this time of year. But I did spot a new fern I will try and identify later.
Back down at the Pond the water is already very low. And the really hot weather hasn’t even hit yet! The Yellow Pond Lily is still blooming, especially in the Lagoon. Another aquatic flower that is blooming right now is Pickerel Weed. It has a spike of pretty purple flowers that bloom from the bottom up. Often you can see Dragon Flies hovering around these plants that grow along the shore, but in the water. And speaking of in the water, the dreaded alien invasive Purple Loosestrife is starting to bloom. On dry land, along the back side of the Lagoon, we have two NATIVE Loosestrifes that are both yellow: the Whorled Loosestrife and the Swamp Candles.
This is just a sampling of the flowers that can be found around Horn Pond. Whether you choose to hike up the Mountain, or stay on flat land, come on out and enjoy the Horn Pond Recreation Area!!!
Look for the Full Buck Moon rising before sunset on the 19th.
Besides these pretty little lilies, there were many other flowers. Before I even got to the base there were huge areas of a little creeping vine-like plant called Crown Vetch filled with pea-like pink & white flowers arranged in a circle like a crown. Just before the turn to head up the mountain is a flower that you will only see if you walk in the morning. The clear sky blue flowers of Chicory are photo-tropic and will fade by midday. There is a large clump here and in many other places around the Pond. At the base of the trail was a whole patch of Yarrow. This white flower has soft feathery leaves and a head made up of lots of tiny flowers. As I headed up the rocky trail there were many other flowers right along the edge of the trail which made it very easy to photograph them! Very convenient for me! Spreading Dogbane is a well branched plant with little white to pinkish bells. Narrow-leaved White-topped Aster, one of the very first Asters to bloom was out in abundance. The tall Blue Vervain had just started to bloom. This plant has thin spikes of blue flowers that bloom from the bottom up. Another spike of flowers I saw was the woody Steeple Bush with its spike of bright pink flowers that bloom from the top down. A smallish shrub called New Jersey Tea with its light airy rounded conical flower heads grows all over this side of the mountain. The dried leaves make a nice tea which was used extensively in Revolutionary War times. We also have fruit growing on this sunny slope. Berries and wild grapes. I doubt anyone will get any ripe grapes (they are still green) between the dry weather and animals they will either shrivel up or get eaten before they are ripe enough for human consumption!
When I reached the top I sat under my favorite oak tree in the shade for a bit. Then I continued across the top via the dirt road. I marveled at the variety of different trees growing up here. At least four different types of oak, both Quaking and Bigtooth Aspen, Gray Birch, European Buckthorn, Pignut Hickory, Red Maple, pine and cedar all can be found. Even with this dry weather we have been having, there was still some water in the old reservoir. It was so hazy at this point that the Boston skyline was barely visible. As I started down the old access road I was back under the trees which offered very much appreciated shade now that the sun was out full. These woods are what’s called ‘Dry Oak/Hickory” woods. Not much for flowers in the woods this time of year. But I did spot a new fern I will try and identify later.
Back down at the Pond the water is already very low. And the really hot weather hasn’t even hit yet! The Yellow Pond Lily is still blooming, especially in the Lagoon. Another aquatic flower that is blooming right now is Pickerel Weed. It has a spike of pretty purple flowers that bloom from the bottom up. Often you can see Dragon Flies hovering around these plants that grow along the shore, but in the water. And speaking of in the water, the dreaded alien invasive Purple Loosestrife is starting to bloom. On dry land, along the back side of the Lagoon, we have two NATIVE Loosestrifes that are both yellow: the Whorled Loosestrife and the Swamp Candles.
This is just a sampling of the flowers that can be found around Horn Pond. Whether you choose to hike up the Mountain, or stay on flat land, come on out and enjoy the Horn Pond Recreation Area!!!
Look for the Full Buck Moon rising before sunset on the 19th.