What Lily Is This in Winston Woods and Other Wildflower Wonderings

My wandering walks are sometimes purposeful: A recent goal has been listing which plants grow in a nearby woodlot. Some surprises included Carrionflower and Kidneyleaf Buttercups. Sometimes I can’t be sure of an id until I see a plant flower or seed. Depending on the weather, I may miss a vital clue this year. That’s why when there was a brief break in the rain, I stopped at the park hoping to solve

The Mystery Lily of Winston Woods

Sounds like a good title for a Nancy Drew novel.

Photo of Michigan Lily Bud Green on NaturalCrooksDotCom
The mystery bud on June 24

I was quite surprised to spot a huge lily bud right beside the trail in late June. When I investigated, I found only two lily stems and only one bud. I looped the entire small park again but did not see any other lilies. Most likely this was  planted here as part of a restoration of native species–but it also could be a garden escape instead.

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Lily bud on June 29

When I zipped back to the park a few days later, the bud had transformed into a gorgeous orange. But I still wanted more proof for my suspicions.

Photo of Michigan Lily Blooming on NaturalcrooksDotCom

Finally on Canada Day I had proof. It is a Michigan Lily. And planted or fully wild, it was worth the suspense.

Not Every Maple Leaf Grows on a Maple Tree

Photo of Mapleleaf Viburnum WW on NaturalCrooksDotCom

A few plants, like Purple-flowering Raspberries, have leaves that look somewhat like maple leaves.At least those bushes are covered in prickles making id easy. This next plant is a little easier to miss when it grows under mature maple trees.

Photo of Mapleleaf Viburnum Bloom on NaturalCrooksDotCom

These are Mapleleaf Viburnums. The flowers which blossomed by June 9 are very un-maple-like.The seeds later this summer will be the clincher. But I’ve looked these up before and I’m confident already.

Not Every “Strawberry” Plant Bears Delicious Red Fruit

There are strawberry plants growing in my new park and some flowered this spring though I never saw the fruit. I suspect the chipmunks, squirrels and other creatures found them first. Another plant that looked vaguely like a strawberry still has fruit but no one seems interested!

Photo of Appalachian Barren Strawberry Bloom on NaturalCrooksDotCom
They were in bloom on May 5, a bit earlier than the real strawberries nearby.

When I first saw these chrome-yellow flowers I thought of Cinquefoil. The leaves, though, were three-parted and more like Strawberries. It didn’t take much detective work to find them in my field guides. Appalachian Barren Strawberries are not related to the plants we get the fruit from. Like the Mapleleaf Viburnum they are just named based on the way their leaves are shaped like more common plants.

Photo of Appalachian Barren Strawberry Leaf on NaturalCrooksDotCom

I hope to find a few more interesting plants in the park as the summer swelters on.

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