This week brought a profusion of August flowers and very localized rain.
Above, tansy’s rayless flower heads look like daisies without petals. Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) has only one kind of flower — the small yellow ones in the central disk. Daisies have two kinds — the central disk plus white flower rays.
Below, cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) is blooming in Schenley Park showing off the cupped leaves that give it its name.
Spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe) is invasive but the flower sure is pretty.
Asiatic dayflower (Commelina communis) can be invasive, too, though the flower lasts only a day.
This week brought rain to our new home north of Schenley Park and continuing drought just south of here. At home on 11 August it rained so hard that a bug took shelter on our window. Its location 70 feet off the ground explains why chimney swifts fly so high.
While the bug was avoiding rain north of Schenley, no rain fell in the park just a mile away.
It’s a very localized drought.
(photos by Kate St. John)
Hi Kate. I’m Linda Bodnar, here in Armsrong County PA. I came across your facebook page sometime ago and enjoy your posts. I’m a butterfly, bird, bee fanatic some say. Got online this morning and was pleasantly surprised to see a photo of some Tansy’s! I remember this flower/herb as a child and have been searching everywhere to identify it over the years with no luck. I would love to plant some in my little garden….do you know where I could buy some plants? Thank you for your time…have a wonderful day.
Linda, tansy is non-native though not invasive in PA. You can buy seeds on Amazon or at https://thegrowers-exchange.com/products/her-tan01. (Note: I am not a gardener so I have never purchased these products.)
Thank you so much for replying, Kate.