I Love Weeds!!

Let me forewarn you...this post is picture HEAVY...but oh, my! I had so much fun down in the Bottom today!

Yesterday we had a big gully washer come rolling through...of course, it was right about the time I went to run an errand for Granny. But Jalapeno went with me, so we had fun splashing through the torrents together!  When we got home, we found a river running down through the Bottom. That island you see in the center of the picture below is our 'burn pile' where I had so much fun photographing today!

After my herb walk with Cyndi last week, I was excited to learn more about what was on our property. Jalapeno and I strolled down in the warm sunshine this morning during a school break and found some plants that I had never seen before. I decided to come back later with my camera, and this is what I found. All id came from www.virginiawildflowers.org. and are my best guess. If you see something id'd wrong, please let me know in the comments!

This is Ironweed. Being a great lover of purple, I found it irresistible, and so do the bees! Mixed in with the Ironweed is some gorgeous Thistle, though I am sure that there are not many who would call this noxious weed 'gorgeous!" It certainly is well protected!

This is one that I have not been able to id yet (I am leaning toward Joe Pye Weed, but it seems too small). If you have any ideas, please leave a comment below.  The one thing that I do know is that this iridescent green visitor was busy as could 'bee' on this pink beauty!

I was so excited to see this beauty....Great Blue Lobelia. So pretty, but not good for much besides causing vomiting. I will keep that in mind in case we need to get things moving up here for some strange reason!

I can't get enough of this close up of a Thistle that is sowing it's seed to the wind. Amazing!

And these Chinese Lanterns, aka Ground Cherry...they blended in so well, that I missed them completely on my first pass around the brush pile! 

This one I don't get at all, but love the tiny little green balls that hang from the center of the flower. This one is called Flowing Spurge. Some more research is in order to figure out where it got it's crazy name!

Mullein!!  I have one plant behind the sleeper camper, and I thought that was all...but I just found more down just over the fence in the Booth Field. Now to figure out how to harvest and preserve it.

Does this not look like a plant from a Seuss book!?!  There are two leaves with a flower ball perched right above them...and there are several of these on each stem. I am just starting to learn all of the nomenclature, but I really love this one! Oh, by the way, it is Wild Basil!

This amazing pic is so much nicer big! I love the texture of the grass in the foreground and the softness of the mint behind...and the bee!

And finally, Cyndi Ball...Goldenrod!!  For reals!

Thanks for taking a few minutes to see my wild garden through my lens. In the next few days I will be putting together a post of all the beauties whose names I could NOT come up with!  All help will be appreciated!!