Wildflowers on the Kingfisher Trail

I really enjoy walking Winton Woods' Kingfisher Trail. The upper half of the trail climbs along a wooded ridge that overlooks a narrow meadow where you can see many bird species. Below that meadow the trail drops off into a wetland area alongside a stream which eventually feeds into the Mill Creek. The wetland is a great place to view waterfowl.

 Today, though, with the skies overcast and a couple of my slower lenses on hand, I decided to hike the trail looking for wildflowers. All it takes on a day like this is a tripod and the patience to wait out the occasional breeze.

Today, I came across clusters of Golden Ragwort near the stream itself. This was actually used for reproductive medicine for both men and women years ago. There are toxins in the plant, though, and it's no longer considered for medicinal purposes.

I also ran across some patches of Red Clover. The pinks and reds of this plant were very eye catching. I also like how the color contrasts with the green of the leaves.

I also like the blue/purple hues of the Appendaged Waterleaf. The tubular shape of the flowers probably makes them attractive to bees and butterflies, but I'll have to see these more often to confirm that theory.

Finally, I ran across a patch of Common or Philadelphia Fleabane. It was thought that these flowers, when dried, would keep fleas away. They are smaller than you would think (I really zoomed in on them to get this photo.) There were quite a number of these along the paths.

I am still learning how to identify these flowers and I found a really useful website to help: http://www.realtimerendering.com/flowers/flowers.html. I was able to find all of these quite easily using their system.

By the way, kudos to the park staff for getting the trail cleared after Tuesday's storm. We got 4 inches of rain over one evening and the streams flooded dramatically, carrying debris all over the walking paths. By the time I got there this morning, the paths were clear.

Until next time....