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Yellow Goldenrods and Purple Asters

Posted by wilde on September 29th, 2006 — Posted in Vegetable

Driving along the country roads in South Central Pennsylvania in September we see lots of pretty views of yellow goldenrods and purple asters. The scene of a fallow field can be quite beautiful with the natural colors of these native plants shining in the sunlight.

Purple asters along a Pennsylvania country road.

Goldenrod comes in many varieties and most have dazzling, yellow flower stalks. Some are plume-like, while others are flat-topped, club-shaped, or shaped like the branches of an elm tree. There are at least 60 kinds of goldenrod, or Solidago, in the Northeast and Northcentral North America, so certain identification is best left to the experts.

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Witch Hazel Trees Blooming in Autumn

Posted by wilde on September 28th, 2006 — Posted in Vegetable

Witch hazel trees are the last blooms that I think we’ll see this season, although I was surprised to see one blooming in September. The long-petaled flowers look a little scraggly. No sepals visible, just thin yellow petals.

I remember last November, as we tromped through the woods in search of the perfect white pine for a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree, that we saw a whole stand of blooming witch hazel trees. I’ll be on the lookout for them again this year!

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