COVER: Photograph of a cornflower.
By Jennifer Devine
A rainbow of color is about to brighten your daily travels. So-called ditch flowers are anything but dull, though they may be common. As the weeks go by, the blooms might change, but the spectacle doesn’t. Look for my roadside “ditch lists” of flowers blooming each month in upcoming issues of Freshwater Reporter.
Here’s a short list of late spring flora you might see through your vehicle’s windows.
Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)
Cornflower grows in corn and grain fields, also known as cereal fields. This reseeding annual was introduced in the 1800s as an ornamental. A nectar favorite of bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, the leaves of this “weed” feed grasshoppers. The petals are used as garnishes in drinks or on food, and mixed with alum to make a cotton or wool dye. We call it Bachelor’s Button for its use as a boutonniere. It loves sandy soil, abundant in our area. Find it in meadows, clearings, roadsides, ditches or home gardens.
Stem: branched, gray-green
Height: up to 3 feet
Flower: 2 inches wide, usually bright blue, can come in shades of pink and purple with narrow jagged petals resembling mini carnations
Leaves: narrow, 4 inches long, arranged alternately on stem
Seed: forms at base of flower; oblong, with little hairs on the tip
Dame’s Rocket (Hesperis matronalis)
Dame’s Rocket was introduced in the 1600s as an ornamental plant for its beauty and is now a staple in wildflower packets. Very fragrant on humid evenings and often confused with 5- petaled phlox, this short-lived perennial is considered invasive, as it spreads easily and can choke out native plants. View it along roads, nature hikes, railways, woodlands, open meadows and thickets. Butterflies and hummingbirds enjoy it, too.
Stem: single and hairy, until branching on top for several flowerheads.
Height: up to 4 feet
Flower: 1 inch wide, clusters of pink, purple or white with 4 petals each.
Leaves: 5 inches long and 1 ½ inches wide, alternate on stem, oblong, smooth, with toothed edge
Seed: forms under flower; up to 20,000 per plant
Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)
Marsh Marigold is a native perennial that can withstand cold spring temps and prefers moist ditches, marshes and swampy areas. The “petals” appear completely yellow to humans, but they are a mixed yellow and ultraviolet called “bee’s purple” to attract bees and flies. Handling can cause skin irritation due to an oily substance called protoanemonin when leaves are broken and is toxic to humans and animals that consume it.
Stem: hollow and single, until branching at the top
Height: up to 3 feet
Flower: about 1 inch wide with 5-9 shiny, ovular, yellow “petal” sepals with up to 50 stamens in the center
Leaves: alternate, glossy green, oval to heart shaped and the undersides have very fine hairs.
Seed: Each flower can produce up to 200.
Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron strigosus)
Daisy Fleabane is similar to, and confused with, the later-blooming flower called Aster. Found in dry sandy ground, clearings, banks, sidewalk cracks, roadsides and railways, the flower also shows up in charred fields after wildfire damage. Considered a native, this wildflower weed has no taproot or rhizomes to dig up, making it easy to keep under control. Wildlife such as rabbits and deer have been known to munch on the leaves and flowers.
Stem: single, then branching at the top for the many flower clusters
Height: up to 3 feet
Flower: clusters of pure white or pink to bluish tint with 50-100 half-inch petals around a yellow center
Leaves: 1-6 inches long, green, alternate, spatulate-shaped near stem base and oblong ascending the stem
Seed: tan, 1 mm long, sometimes with fine fibrous hairs on the tip, like a dandelion
With warmer weather and plants popping, there is no time like the present to take a drive in the country and look for showy roadside attractions, right here in MI Backyard.
Jennifer Devine is a former homesteader. She and her husband were licensed to sell black cherry, white oak and white pine trees. They and their children were living off grid and had a large garden. They are city dwellers as of spring 2022 but still enjoy using native plants in their cooking and every day lives.
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