Friday Flowers - December 9, 2016

New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)

            This was one of 18 wild flowers that I found in the Hamilton area yesterday. They were either growing as "weeds" in and around the flower beds of the Royal Botanical Garden's Rose Garden or at the side of the parking lot or along the Hamilton Waterfront Trail. As would be expected, after several frost and a couple of snowfalls, they were all looking rather poorly but they were still blooming. The dandelions and groundsels were also still producing seeds.

Here is the whole list of wild flowering species seen:

Alyssum, Hoary *         Berteroa incana Aster, Heath             Symphyotrichum ericoides Aster, New England       Symphyotrichum novae-angliae   Aster, Panicled          Symphyotrichum lanceolatum Chickweed, Common *      Stellaria media Clover, White Sweet*     Melilotus alba Dandelion, Common *      Taraxacum officinale Dandelion, Red-Seeded*   Taraxacum erythrospermum Feverfew *               Tanacetum parthenium Goldenrod, Canada        Solidago canadensis Goldenrod, Lance-Leaved  Euthamia graminifolia Goldenrod, Tall          Solidago altissima Groundsel, Common *      Senecio vulgaris Spurge, Petty *          Euphorbia peplus Storksbill *             Erodium cicutarium Tansey *                 Tanacetum vulgare Witch Hazel              Hamamelis virginiana Yarrow, Common *         Achillea millefolium

            As one can see 11* of the species are not native.