The wildflowers of spring like trilliums and violets have bloomed and are only memories. Blooming in another month or two will be the wildflowers of early fall, such as asters and goldenrods.
But what about in between, in midsummer? We tend to think of wildflowers only in terms of spring and fall blooms, but I find nearly as many blooming wildflowers this time of year as in spring and fall.
Travel almost any rural road in Georgia now or tromp through an old field or a woodland and you’re likely to see several midsummer wildflowers — their hot, bright colors seeming to match the heat of the season.
They include blazing star, bee balm, jewelweed, trumpet-creeper, several milkweed species, black-eyed Susan, daisies, cardinal flower, coneflowers, beggar lice, milk-pea, turtlehead, starry campion, St. John’s wort, coral honeysuckle, passionflower and others.
In particular, two of my favorite native wildflowers of the entire year are blooming now — the bright orange Turk’s-cap lily (mostly in moist, mountain woods) and the equally bright orange butterfly weed, a species of milkweed found in sunny spots throughout Georgia.
The enchanting lily, which can grow up to 8 feet tall, is so-named because its unique flowers resemble — what else — a Turk’s cap. On hot, sunny days, few Turk’s-cap lilies are without a slew of butterflies — and an occasional hummingbird — flitting around them. The stunning sight always stops me in my tracks.
That’s also true of the butterfly weed, which seems especially fond of rural roadsides, adding dashes of eye-catching color to the summer greenness.
To me, though, the wildflowers most symbolic of July in Georgia are the native sunflowers, which favor hot, sunny weather. From the coast to the mountains, Georgia has 27 native sunflower species, all of them in the Helianthus genus. Nearly all are an eye-catching yellow. You’re likely to spot some of the tougher ones, such as woodland, hairy and small-headed sunflowers, along highways now and into October.
IN THE SKY: From David Dundee, Tellus Science Museum astronomer: The moon is first quarter Saturday. Mercury is low in the east just before dawn. Venus and Mars are low in the west just after dark; Mars will appear near the moon Sunday evening. Jupiter and Saturn rise in the east after midnight.
Charles Seabrook can be reached at charles.seabrook@yahoo.com.
