Wildflower IDs - New England - Please put me out of my misery!

[congodwarf]

I need to ID these wildflowers. I took the pics in South Central Massachusetts. I have looked in my Audubon guide to New England and I have spent over 2 hours searching the net and I can't find any of them.

Please help me!

White and green leafy plant

Purple and white stalky flowers (there was a third flower too but I can't remember what color it was)

Very distinctive 6 petaled orange flower with spots. WHY CAN'T I FIND THIS!!!???

White bunches of flowers

I think I thought this was Spotted Joe-Pye-Weed but now I'm not sure

Light purple and white bunchy flowers

Yellow

Kinda purple, pink, whitish

Purple with funky petals



Yes, I am doing homework. BUT, I needed 20 plants and I have 21 identified. These are just annoying the hell out of me because I can't find them. I don't actually need them for the project.

[Mangetout]

Originally Posted by congodwarf

...
Very distinctive 6 petaled orange flower with spots. WHY CAN'T I FIND THIS!!!???

You'll kick yourself...

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=leopard+lily

[congodwarf]

I am actually very happy to say that I have never heard of a leopard lily.

Thank you!

[Mangetout]

Heh. Nor me - I guessed it based on just identifying it as something in the Lily family, and it having spots.

[congodwarf]

I actually tried that too but I was thrown by all the pictures with curled petals. I saw the pictures but never looked at the name because I was so sure it was wrong.

Unfortunately, I forgot that half the assignment is identifying the plants. The other half is describing the leaves. I neglected to tell my boyfriend that as he was taking the pictures and he focused on the flowers. Now I have to search the internet to find good enough pictures of the leaves to finish my assignment.

[Mangetout]

Let's have a look at some of the others...

Originally Posted by congodwarf

Purple and white stalky flowers (there was a third flower too but I can't remember what color it was)

Don't know, but looks like it belongs in the Labiatae/Lamiacae (same family as mint, rosemary, sage)

Light purple and white bunchy flowers

Some kind of clover.

Yellow

Evening Primrose

Purple with funky petals

Looks like chicory to me - but I can't discern the non-flowering parts of the plant well enough in the photo.

[Parenchyma]

If you have time, you could also make another field trip to Framingham to The Garden in the Woods. When I had a toxic plant project long ago, I was able to find many of the plants there (with identifying signs). Their website also has a bloom gallery that might help you right now.

[congodwarf]

I would actually very much like to go there. Unfortunately I have no time. I didn't even get the instructions for this project until late last night and it's due on Tuesday. And, having signs is cheating. I have to identify them myself.

I only asked for these because I don't need them for the project and they were annoying me. I will check out the bloom gallery though, definitely.

7 hours at Old Sturbridge Village just to find 21 definite wildflowers.
5 hours collecting additional info, creating PowerPoint
2 hours, at least, to finish putting the info into the presentation, before I get to go to bed.

It's a good thing I enjoyed the 7 hour search today because it nearly makes up for this tedious project.

I have to say though, my virtual herbarium looks very cool.

[jayjay]

Originally Posted by congodwarf

White and green leafy plant

Snow-on-the-mountain

Purple and white stalky flowers (there was a third flower too but I can't remember what color it was)

Great Blue Lobelia

[Mangetout]

Originally Posted by jayjay

Great Blue Lobelia

Well I never... I was so sure that one was a Labiate

[Jackmannii]

Originally Posted by congodwarf

I think I thought this was Spotted Joe-Pye-Weed but now I'm not sure

It's Joe-pye weed. As to species, it's probably either Eupatorium purpureum (eastern Joe-pye weed) or E. maculatum (spotted Joe-pye weed). The latter is supposed to have narrower leaves that taper gradually toward the base, but I can't see the foliage well enough in your photo to make an educated guess on exactly what species it is.

I should be an expert on E. purpureum by now, seeing as how I was foolish enough a decade ago to plant one small specimen in my garden and it has now reseeded itself into several solid stands in different parts of my perennial borders.

[jayjay]

Originally Posted by Jackmannii

It's Joe-pye weed. As to species, it's probably either Eupatorium purpureum (eastern Joe-pye weed) or E. maculatum (spotted Joe-pye weed). The latter is supposed to have narrower leaves that taper gradually toward the base, but I can't see the foliage well enough in your photo to make an educated guess on exactly what species it is.

I should be an expert on E. purpureum by now, seeing as how I was foolish enough a decade ago to plant one small specimen in my garden and it has now reseeded itself into several solid stands in different parts of my perennial borders.

It could be ironweed, too. They're pretty similar, as far as flowers and leaves go.

[Harmonious Discord]

Originally Posted by Mangetout

Let's have a look at some of the others...

Don't know, but looks like it belongs in the Labiatae/Lamiacae (same family as mint, rosemary, sage)

Some kind of clover.

Evening Primrose

Looks like chicory to me - but I can't discern the non-flowering parts of the plant well enough in the photo.

It is chicory. The plant is chopped off. Normally this would be over two feet tall.

[Harmonious Discord]

White bunches of flowers - Sweet Pepperbush

[Harmonious Discord]

Kinda purple, pink, whitish - Slender Knotweed

[Jackmannii]

Originally Posted by jayjay

It could be ironweed, too. They're pretty similar, as far as flowers and leaves go.

It's a thought, but I haven't seen ironweed blossoms that splayed out like that.

[congodwarf]

Originally Posted by jayjay

It could be ironweed, too. They're pretty similar, as far as flowers and leaves go.

It's definitely Joe-Pye-Weed. I had to go back today to get leaf pictures and the herb garden had it, labelled. Of course, when I did my search, I did it the hard way, by spending 7 hours walking around the place looking for wildflowers by the side of the paths. It never occurred to me to check the herb garden. They have a whole section of wildflowers.

[FalconFinder]

Light purple and white bunchy flowers = definitely clover.

If you pull the flower petals off, you can suck on the ends. They're very sweet.