Category: Flowers

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/14 Observation Time: 9:05 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Pink Lady’s Slipper orchid Scientific Name: Cypripedium acaule Comments: Pink lady’s slippers won’t survive if you try to transplant them, so please don’t dig them up. More Information: Wikipedia

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/24/10 Observation Time: 8:25 a.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Rd. Common Name: Peony Scientific Name: Paeonia spp. Comments: Long ago, some observant gardener noticed that ants on peony buds always meant the flowers would open soon. And so a bit of folk wisdom was born: Peonies cannot open until ants eat away the seal that keeps the buds closed. But […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/10 Observation Time: 5:25 p.m. Observation Location: edge of woods by Gavins Pond near soccer fields Common Name: Dewberry Scientific Name: Rubus flagellaris Comments: Dewberries are found in the eastern half of North America. Indians prepared a tea using northern dewberry roots to calm stomach irritation. The fruits are large and tasty. They can be eaten raw or used in jams, […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/13/14 Observation Time: 8:05 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: May apple Scientific Name: Podophyllum peltatum Comments: Check out this well-written blog about May apples:  66 SQUARE FEET (PLUS) blog

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 8/3/10 Observation Time: 9:45 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Common Name: Little Floatingheart Scientific Name: Nymphoides cordata Comments: The little floatinghearts are the smaller, darker, heart-shaped floating pads visible in the photo among the bigger, greener rounder water lilies. The small, five-petalled white flowers are those of little floatingheart. Water lilies have much bigger floating blossoms (see photo taken September […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/15/13 Observation Time: 6:20 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond area Common Name: Lanceleaf Tickseed Scientific Name: Coreopsis lanceolata More Information: Go Botany

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/24/10 Observation Time: 7:50 a.m. Observation Location: near Gavins Pond outflow pool Common Name: Jewelweed Scientific Name: Impatiens capensis Comments: Jewelweed, which often grows in disturbed areas near poison ivy, is also an antidote for poison ivy. More Information: Altnature.com

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 9/12/09 Observation Time: 11:25 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Common Name: Goldenrod Scientific Name: Solidago sp. Comments: Goldenrod gets a bad rap as a cause of autumn allergies. The real culprit is ragweed. In fact, goldenrod has medicinal properties. More Information: Great Plains Nature Center

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/14/11 Observation Time: 2:10 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Dwarf ginseng Scientific Name: Panax trifolius Comments: This diminutive variety of ginseng has no “medicinal” properties. It blooms in spring and dies back in summer. More Information: US Forest Service

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/28/10 Observation Time: 1:55 p.m. Observation Location: 147 Wolomolopoag St., Sharon Common Name: Daisy Fleabane Scientific Name: Erigeron annuus Comments: Fleabanes get their common name from an old belief that they repelled fleas and other pestiferous insects. Early European settlers in North America stuffed mattresses with fleabane and hung clusters of plants in their cabins to drive out fleas. The […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/23/09 Observation Time: 9:45 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road Common Name: Daisy Fleabane Scientific Name: Erigeron annuus Comments: Fleabanes get their common name from an old belief that they repelled fleas and other pestiferous insects. Early European settlers in North America stuffed mattresses with fleabane and hung clusters of plants in their cabins to drive out fleas. The custom […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/14/09 Observation Time: 11:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm, Trustees of Reservations land Common Name: Celandine Scientific Name: Chelidonium majus More Information: Flora Health Herb Encyclopedia  

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/15/12 Observation Time: 5:00 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Rd. soccer field parking lot Common Name: Bull Thistle Scientific Name: Cirsium vulgare Comments: The beautiful blossom of the bull thistle comes with sharp thorns. More Information: Wikipedia  

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/14/09 Observation Time: 11:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm, Trustees of Reservations land Common Name: Bull Thistle Scientific Name: Cirsium vulgare More Information: UGA Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health  

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/14/11 Observation Time: 3:20 p.m. Observation Location: meadow near Gavins Pond dam Common Name: Blueberry Scientific Name: Vaccinium corymbosum Comments: Blueberries grow wild in the woods around Sharon, often near ponds and streams, where their roots can access moisture during dry weather. They flower in May and ripen in mid-summer. More Information: Mother Earth News

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/23/09 Observation Time: 9:30 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road Common Name: Black-eyed Susans Scientific Name: Rudbeckia hirta Comments: The genus name honors Olaus Rudbeck, who was a professor of botany at the University of Uppsala in Sweden and was one of Linnaeus’s teachers. The specific epithet “hirta” refers to the trichomes (hairs) occurring on leaves and stems. More Information: USDA  

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/5/13 Observation Time: 6:15 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond area Common Name: Black-eyed Susans Scientific Name: Rudbeckia hirta Comments: A type of daisy, these were growing wild in the field near Gavins Pond Dam. More Information: USDA

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/6/14 Observation Time: 12:45 p.m. Observation Location: near Gavins Pond Common Name: Deptford Pink Scientific Name: Dianthus armeria Comments:The Deptford pink is a European species, introduced and widespread in North America. Its name refers to the English town near London in which this species was formerly common. More Information: Go Botany

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/29/14 Observation Time: 12:20 p.m. Observation Location: Borderland State Park 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: 5/14/14 Observation Time: 10:50 a.m. Observation Location: Sharon Common Name: Narrow-leaved spring beauty Scientific Name: Claytonia virginica L. Comments: This rare wildflower is only found in nine towns in Massachusetts. Please do not dig up wildflowers! More Information: Mass. Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 9/22/13 Observation Time: 3:15 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road near soccer fields Common Name: Jerusalem Artichoke Scientific Name: Helianthus tuberosus Comments: Before the arrival of Europeans, Native Americans cultivated H. tuberosus as a food source. The tubers persist for years after being planted, so that the species expanded its range from central North America to the eastern and western regions. Early […]