Avant Gardening

Wisconsin’s Blooming Roadside

Ever Wonder What’s Blooming Along Your Road?

July has been such a colorful month with a huge assortment of perennials now in bloom – keep an eye out in August as well! While you might enjoy the beautiful blooms of plants, such as: Blue Mallow (Malva sylvestris), Foxglove (Digitalis Purpurea), Shasta Daisy (Chrysanthemum x superbum), Pincushion Flower (Scabiosa columbaria), Delphinium, Lavender (Lavandula), Coreopsis, Soapwort, Sedums and Oriental Lilies in the confines of your garden, there are many others to be seen along the sides of Wisconsin’s rural roads.

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The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has a great website about all of Rustic Roads you can explore – Click Here for more specific maps and information. When you are traveling around the state, look for the beauty and colors offered by these on the way to your destination!

WHITE BLOOMS:

American Black Elderberry (Sambucus nigra L. ssp. Canadensis), Fleabane (Erigeron spp.), Bouncingbet (Saponaria officinalis), Common Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) and Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota).

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GOLDEN/YELLOW BLOOMS:

Oxeye Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides), Black-eyed Susan (Rubeckia hirta var. pulcherrima) and the bright yellow Yarrow (Achillea millefolium). Be cautious around the invasive Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) which looks similar to Dill flowers but when sap contacts skin in the presence of sunlight, it can cause severe rashes and blisters. For more information, visit Wisconsin DNR Invasive Species.

BLUE BLOOMS:

Chicory (Cichorium intybus) is the most common plant and can be seen along almost every rural road this time of year.

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PINK BLOOMS:

Common Vetch (Vicia sativa subsp. Nigra) or Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa L. subsp. fistulosa), the Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.) and the invasive crown vetch (coronilla varia L.).

Nature provides her own garden for us to view along the ditches and roadways if we only take the time to look!

 

References:

http://plants.usda.gov/du/DistributionUpdate.html

http://www.uwgb.edu/biodiversity/herbarium/invasive_species/corvar01.htm

http://www.plantnative.org/rpl-mimnwi.htm

http://uwarboretum.org/