06/17/2026
Flowering at the Nature Sanctuary this week:
Hairy beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus) gets its name from the small hairs that line the interior of the flower. They have fuzzy stems as well. Hairy beardtongue starts blooming after spring wildflowers are finished but before the onslaught of midsummer flowers, providing nectar to various bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, whose long beaks can fit into the tubular flowers. They are also a host plant for the Baltimore checkerspot butterfly.
Blue wild indigo or false indigo (Baptisia australis) is a member of the pea family, so the foliage and flowers might look familiar. Unlike peas, all parts of the Baptisia plant are poisonous to humans; however, they are a host plant for orange sulphur and eastern tailed-blue butterflies, to name a few. Native bees adapted to be able to use their strong legs to pry apart the closed flowers, which you will see in action if you hang out near a flowering Baptisia bush long enough.
The Virginia rose (Rosa virginiana) is a hearty rose native to much of Eastern North America. From late May into June, the flowers attract myriad bees and butterflies and, when the weather is right, will perfume the air with the most wonderful rose scent. The foliage turns a gorgeous deep red/bronze in the fall and the flowers give way to large rose hips. A vigorous spreader, this does not actually belong in a garden!
Ohio spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis) has leaves that look like a cross between a grass and some kind of iris. The flowers are iris-hued, an iridescent blueish purple that gleams in the sun. There is a small clump of spiderwort in our Chestnut Grove Garden, but it is at its best when given room to roam, and looks great when allowed to naturalize in a field.
Northern wood sorrel (Oxalis montana) occurs in only one place at the Nature Sanctuary, a small seep tucked way back in the woods. This seep creates a kind of interesting microhabitat that’s home to a handful of plants that are not uncommon locally, but not found anywhere else at the Sanctuary.
Sweet shrub or Carolina allspice (Calycanthus floridus) is pollinated primarily by beetles, and a quick look over the shrub the other day revealed at least five different species of beetle hanging out on the leaves and flowers! As the name suggests, most parts of the plant have a spicy smell, which is what attracts the beetles. The plant’s fleshy flowers evolved so long ago that they pre-dated the onset of winged insects, hence the beetle pollination.
