Leonard Weber

June 14, 2023

Knowing that my walk on June 14 in Eliza Howell Park needed to be very limited in both distance and duration, I decided to focus on my favorite wildflower field.

The walk demonstrated clearly that (giving credit to Rodgers and Hammerstein) “June is bustin’ out all over.”

The larger wildflowers that attract so many insects — like Joe Pye Weed, Purple Coneflower, Ironweed, Wild Bergamot, Goldenrod — are not yet mature enough to produce flowers, but the “blooms and bugs” season is definitely beginning.

Crown Vetch is starting to bloom.

And when flowers bloom, insects come.

Wood-Satyr is common in this part of the park in spring, but they rarely come to flowers. Here are two of the others I saw on this walk, one showing evidence of considerable wear and tear.

Near the wildflower field, in a patch of woody plants, there are a couple Silky Dogwood shrubs. They are now in flower.

These flowers also bring pollinators.

Back in the wildflower field, Common Yarrow is blooming. It, too, often attracts visitors

Many insects, of course, are content to ignore the flowers.

The flowers and insects have begun an eye-catching show that will last well into autumn. I hope to be present for many of the different scenes as the show goes on.