Category: Flowers

Observer: Marshall Katler Observation Date: 9/14/23 Observation Time: 8:30 a.m. Observation Location: old field at King Phillip’s Rock area Common Name: Ladies’ Tresses Scientific Name: Spiranthes cernua Comments: Typically found in fields, damp meadows, moist thickets, and grassy swamps, Ladies’ Tresses bloom in late summer and fall. Please do not dig up wildflowers. More Information: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/28/23 Observation Time: 11:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (under high tension wires) Common Name: Golden Ragwort Scientific Name: Senecio aureus (also known as Packera aurea) Comments: Golden Ragwort is a biannual plant with yellow-orange flowers. It grows to a height of 2 feet and belongs to Asteraceae family (i.e. asters). More Information: Grow Native

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/23/23 Observation Time: 8:25 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Siberian Iris Scientific Name: Iris siberica Comments: These gaudy flowers are non-native. They are typically purple, but they come in a range of colors including white. More Information: Wikipedia

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/17/23 Observation Time: 7:10 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Yellow Star Grass Scientific Name: Hypoxis hirsuta Comments: Yellow star-grass is the only native wildflower with a six-petaled yellow blossom. More Information: U.S. Wildflowers

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/16/23 Observation Time: 4:15 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary (Bluff Trail) Common Name: Blue Toadflax Scientific Name: Nuttallanthus canadensis Comments: These diminutive wildflowers bloom from April to September. At first glance they look like nondescript spindly weeds, but viewed up close they are stunningly beautiful. More Information: Conn. Botanical Society

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/16/23 Observation Time: 3:40 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Common Buttercup Scientific Name: Ranunculus acris Comments: The Common Buttercup (Ranunculus acris); also called Tall Buttercup, Meadow Buttercup and Blister Plant; is a perennial forb/herb in the Ranunculaceae family. The family and genus names come from the Latin for “little frog” because this family prefers wet areas. […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/16/23 Observation Time: 3:30 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary (boardwalk) Common Name: Marsh Blue Violet Scientific Name: Viola cucullata Comments: The violets of North America come in two general forms, the stemmed violets and the stemless violets. Stemmed violets produce leaves and flowers on upright stems. Stemless violets produce leaves and flowers from and underground vertical or […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/13/23 Observation Time: 11:20 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Jack-in-the-pulpit Scientific Name: Arisaema triphyllum Comments: Jack-in-the-pulpits grow in largely deciduous forests with plenty of shade. They prefer rich, moist soil and can often be found near wetlands and vernal pools. In the late summer, after the plant’s flower has been pollinated, it produces a large clump of […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/13/23 Observation Time: 8:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Starflower Scientific Name: Lysimachia borealis Comments: Formerly known as Trientalis borealis, it has been shuffled around to new species name Lysimachia borealis (same genus as the yellow Loosestrifes) and moved to the Myrsinaceae (Myrsine) family. This member of the primrose family likes moist woods. It blooms in […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/11/23 Observation Time: 9:50 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Star of Bethlehem Scientific Name: Ornithogalum umbellatum Comments: The Star of Bethlehem is a genus (Ornithogalum) of perennial plants native to southern Europe belonging to the family Hyacinthaceae. Growing from a bulb, it has grass-like basal leaves and a slender stalk, up to 12 inches tall, bearing […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/9/23 Observation Time: 8:25 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Lily of the Valley Scientific Name: Convallaria majalis Comments: Lily of the Valley is highly poisonous if consumed by humans or other animals. Please do not dig up any wildflowers you may find in Sharon. Please leave them for everyone to enjoy! More Information: Wikipedia

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/9/23 Observation Time: 8:15 a.m. Observation Location: Somewhere in Sharon Common Name: Narrow-leaved Spring Beauty Scientific Name: Claytonia virginica Comments: Its scientific name honors Colonial Virginia botanist John Clayton (1694–1773). Spring Beauty is an endangered species in Massachusetts. Please do not dig up any wildflowers you may find in Sharon. Please leave them for everyone to enjoy! More Information: Massachusetts Natural […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/9/23 Observation Time: 7:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary (in wetland) Common Name: Red Chokeberry Scientific Name: Aronia arbutifolia Comments: In eastern North America, two well-known chokeberry species are named after their fruit color, red chokeberry and black chokeberry, plus a purple chokeberry whose origin is a natural hybrid of the two. and Florida Wildflower Foundation More […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/7/23 Observation Time: 6:25 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Common Blue Violet Scientific Name: Viola sororia Comments: These were growing along the driveway leading into the parking lot. Please do not dig up wildflowers. More information: The Botanical Hiker

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/28/23 Observation Time: 11:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Sand Violet (also known as Hookedspur Violet) Scientific Name: Viola adunca Comments: Sand violet grows where the soil has been disrupted and exposed. I saw this one in an eroded area beside a sloping trail. Sand violet is listed as a species of special concern in […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/27/23 Observation Time: 3:45 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR) Common Name: Azure Bluet Scientific Name: Houstonia caerulea Comments: Azure bluets are also know as Quaker ladies. More Information: Wikipedia

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/27/23 Observation Time: 3:20 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR) along dirt road under high tension wires Common Name: Wood Anemone Scientific Name: Anemone quinquefolia Comments: Also called wood windflower, wood anemone is one of the earliest blooming flowers in the rich, moist forests of New England. Look for showy white flowers poking above the dissected leaves, only 3 inches […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/25/23 Observation Time: 8:15 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary (bluff overlook) Common Name: Virginia saxifrage Scientific Name: Micranthes virginiensis Comments: The characteristic features of saxifrage are consistent with its alpine provenance and consequent tenacity. A rosette of basal toothed leaves huddle on a rocky substrate to hold fast in the boreal winds that prevail in typical mountain habitats. […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/13/23 Observation Time: 9:00 a.m. Observation Location: Somewhere in Sharon Common Name: Narrow-leaved Spring Beauty Scientific Name: Claytonia virginica Comments: Its scientific name honors Colonial Virginia botanist John Clayton (1694–1773). Spring Beauty is an endangered species in Massachusetts. Please do not dig up any wildflowers you may find in Sharon. Please leave them for everyone to enjoy! More Information: Massachusetts Natural […]

Observer: Susan Drisko Observation Date: 4/27/2022 Observation Time: 3:25 p.m.  Observation Location: Town-owned conservation land near Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Red Trillium Scientific Name: Trillium erectum Comments: Native to eastern North America, the red trillium (Trillium erectum) is found on forest floors. Its components surface in groups of three as pointed triple leaves, giving way to three-petalled flowers. Red trillium is mildly toxic to […]

Observer: Susan Drisko Observation Date: 4/27/2022 Observation Time: 1:45 p.m. Observation Location: headwaters of Beaver Brook Common Name: Marsh Marigold Scientific Name: Caltha palustris Comments: Caltha palustris, known as marsh-marigold and kingcup, is a small to medium size perennialherbaceousplant of the buttercup family, native to marshes, fens, ditches and wet woodlands in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It typically flowers between April and August. More […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/24/21 Observation Time: 3:55 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR) Common Name: Tall Meadow Rue Scientific Name: Thalictrum pubescens Comments: Meadow rue flowers have no petals; the conspicuous part of the flower is the white filaments of the stamens. More Information: Connecticut Botanical Society

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 9/4/20 Observation Time: 2:30 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR) Common Name: Late Purple Aster Scientific Name: Symphyotrichum patens Comments: Late purple aster looks similar to smooth aster — they both have purple rays and clasping leaves. Distinguish them by their stems — late purple aster has a rough, hairy stem; smooth aster has a smooth stem with a […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 9/4/20 Observation Time: 2:10 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR) Common Name: Slender Bush-Clover Scientific Name: Lespedeza virginica Comments: Slender bush-clover is a member of the pea family. Like other bush-clovers, slender bush-clover is preferentially browsed by mammalian herbivores such as deer and rabbits, as well as quail and other ground birds. Slender bush-clover is often found in man-made or […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 9/4/20 Observation Time: 1:10 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (in the woods) Common Name: Whorled Wood Aster Scientific Name: Oclemena acuminata Comments: Whorled Wood Asters are among the relatively few woodland wildflowers that bloom in late summer and early fall. Note the pure gold-green sweat bee feeding on the blossoms. More information: Wildflowers of the Adirondacks