Creekside Flowers

Several of us were pulling seine and admiring the various summer flowers in bloom along the banks. Ironweed, Jewelweed, Cardinal Flower, Joe Pye Weed. There was also a very interesting delicate blue flower, but i only saw 2 in bloom. Does anyone know of this flower?

 BlueFlower3.JPG   28.72KB   1 downloads

I was also curious of these berries. Edible?

 Berries.JPG   64.81KB   0 downloads

These yellow flowers were common and prolific.

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The micro architectual flower, Jewelweed.

 JewelFlower.JPG   54.21KB   2 downloads

A nice stand of Joe Pye.

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And finally something cool growing in my yard. There is a yard in the valley that is covered in these.

 SpiderLillys.JPG   65.5KB   0 downloads

Several of us were pulling seine and admiring the various summer flowers in bloom along the banks. Ironweed, Jewelweed, Cardinal Flower, Joe Pye Weed. There was also a very interesting delicate blue flower, but i only saw 2 in bloom. Does anyone know of this flower?

 BlueFlower3.JPG   28.72KB   1 downloads

I was also curious of these berries. Edible?

 Berries.JPG   64.81KB   0 downloads

These yellow flowers were common and prolific.

 YellowFlowers.JPG   55.37KB   0 downloads

The micro architectual flower, Jewelweed.

 JewelFlower.JPG   54.21KB   2 downloads

A nice stand of Joe Pye.

 JoePye.JPG   83.51KB   0 downloads

And finally something cool growing in my yard. There is a yard in the valley that is covered in these.

 SpiderLillys.JPG   65.5KB   0 downloads

Nice shots,
That little blue flower is a dayflower (maybe asiatic dayflower). Those berries looks like elderberries, they are used to make jellies/jams and elderberry wine once ripe. And those yellow flowers are some kind of aster. Makes me want to get out and explore today, too bad its raining.

Nice shots, Casper! I agree that the blue flower is Asiatic dayflower. There are some native dayflowers in your area too, but they either have a third petal or have bigger, paler petals. The berries are definitely elderberries. I think your lilies are "naked ladies" or "surprise lilies". My grandmother always had them in her garden.

Aren't the "naked ladies" the pink ones that flower in July, as opposed to these red ones that flower in late summer and are commonly known as spider lilies? It could be regional differences, too, I guess.

Those are indeed elderberries in the photo. The RIPE berries are edible, and are usually cooked into jellies, jams and pies. Be careful, though, as all other parts are poisonous - including the little stem for each berry, as are unripe berries. Also, I've heared that raw berries give some people nausea due to alkaloid content.

Thanks much.
It is a pretty time of year if one can avoid the heat and chiggers, and there is no place better to do so than waist deep in cool, clean water.
Spiderlillys is what a friend called them. I thought the seeds might have fallen from a alien ship when i first saw them years ago. A very floral flower.
Aw gee... the little blue flower is not native. It sure is pretty though. The green flower pod is translucent and all veiny.
Ive heard of Elderberry Wine and jellies. I will try one next time. Thanks for the warning about unripe ones and poisonous stems and potential stomach ache from the uncooked ones. There were enough to fill a few mason quart jars. Elderberry Wine if i can find some close to home.

Aren't the "naked ladies" the pink ones that flower in July, as opposed to these red ones that flower in late summer and are commonly known as spider lilies? It could be regional differences, too, I guess.

I use the same names for both species; the long-stamened red species in Casper's post is Lycoris radiata, I think the pink one is L. squamigera. I always used "spider lily" for Hymenocallis species. I guess that's the trouble with common names.

The sunflower-like plant may be Rudbeckia laciniata, green coneflower. If so the lower leaves should be deeply lobed like ragweed, becoming progressively less lobed higher up the stem, and the upper leaves unlobed. I can only see unlobed upper leaves in your pic.

A Useful Note:

Jewel Weed makes an effective treatment after contact with stinging nettle.
You can invariably find them growing side by side.
Simply crush some stems of the Jewel Weed and apply to the itchy stinging areas.
This neutralizes the formic acid contained in the stinging hairs of the nettle.
I have heard it is effective for other itches acquired in the woods also, although I've never tried it.

On a side note, The ubiquitous Stinging Nettle is edible! (And rumor has it, delicious)
Briefly boiling the young greens removes the sting.

Jewel Weed makes an effective treatment after contact with stinging nettle.
You can invariably find them growing side by side.

That is what i have heard as well, but never used it. I know what stinging nettles look like now! look for those serrated edges.
My legs were on FIRE! i ran, and jumped, clothes, shoes and all into the creek and rub, rub, rubbed. Next time you see stinging nettle, carefully pick a leaf, turn it upside down and look at it in good light. A thousand hypodermic needles!
Yeow!

I'm nearly certain that treatment for stinging nettles is purely psychosomatic. I've heard all sorts of stories about rubbing on the juice of bracken fern fiddleheads or eating the fruit of the Oregon grape. Both of those work remarkably well, but it turns out so does cool water.

You can eat nettle leaves raw if you fold them stingers-in and chew before touching it with your tongue. While this seemed like a good idea at an earlier stage of my life, it's not something I'm likely to do again, but I do recall I never got stung doing it.

I'm nearly certain that treatment for stinging nettles is purely psychosomatic. I've heard all sorts of stories about rubbing on the juice of bracken fern fiddleheads or eating the fruit of the Oregon grape. Both of those work remarkably well, but it turns out so does cool water.

You can eat nettle leaves raw if you fold them stingers-in and chew before touching it with your tongue. While this seemed like a good idea at an earlier stage of my life, it's not something I'm likely to do again, but I do recall I never got stung doing it.

I too have heard that fiddle heads of ferns work as a treatment, as this was an American Indian medicament for that particular malady.

I'm not convinced that the Jewel Weed is at all psychosomatic, as it seems to work instantaneously to relieve the sting, whereas cold water just makes you sting....in a cold way.

As I understand it, alcohol works as well, I'm just not sure if you're supposed to rub it on....or drink it!

Jewel Weed makes an effective treatment after contact with stinging nettle.
You can invariably find them growing side by side.

That is what i have heard as well, but never used it. I know what stinging nettles look like now! look for those serrated edges.
My legs were on FIRE! i ran, and jumped, clothes, shoes and all into the creek and rub, rub, rubbed. Next time you see stinging nettle, carefully pick a leaf, turn it upside down and look at it in good light. A thousand hypodermic needles!
Yeow!

A friend of mine and I were creeking and saw a likely shortcut of about 50 yards that would have saved about a half hour of backtracking. The problem was it was a field of Stinging Nettle, and we were wearing shorts. We foolishly decided we would go for it. About half way, we were absolutely consumed by fire, and our legs began to tremble. We stopped and looked at each other with that "oh crap, what have we done" look. We had no choice but to grit our teeth and plow forward. The cumulative effect of all of those nettle needles about made me lose my mind. That day was a real test of manhood I can attest to that! I ran down to the creek and jumped into the water as well.
Hokie smokes...what a feeling!
When I told another friend of mine of the incident, he advised me of the Jewel Weed treatment, and I am glad to say have used it successfully many times.

[I have heard it is effective for other itches acquired in the woods also, although I've never tried it.

I have used it on insect bites, it seemed to help, but not as much as say hydrocortizone. When you're out hiking though it's a good plant to have around.

I tell you cold water is instantly and completely effective if you believe it is.