Wild Flowers of the Morning

            First I walked the dog for the small amount that she wanted then I continued, without her, for the walk we took all last winter and spring. She has not been keen on walking in the heat and mosquitoes of high summer.

            During the walk I found 64 wild flowers in our meadows that I could identify:

Alexanders, Golden
Asparagus *
Aster, Arrow-Leaved
Aster, Flat-Topped
Aster, Frost
Aster, New England
Aster, White Wood
Avens, White
Basil, Wild
Beggar Tick, Tall
Black-Eyed Susan
Bluestem, Big (Grass)
Butter-And-Eggs *
Carpenter's Square (Figwort)
Celandine *
Clover, Red *
Comfrey, Common *
Coneflower, Cutleaf (Outhouse Plant)
Coneflower, Purple *
Coneflower, Tall
Coneflower, Thin-Leaved * 
Coreopsis, Tall
Cucumber, Wild
Cup Plant
Daisy, Oxeye *
Dandelion, Common *
Dock, Prairie
Everlasting, Sweet (Fragrant Cudweed)
Fleabane, Lesser Daisy
Globe-thistle, Great *
Goldenrod, Blue-Stemmed
Goldenrod, Canada
Goldenrod, Gray
Goldenrod, Lance-Leaved
Goldenrod, Tall
Harebell
Heal-All
Hedge-Parsley, Upright *
Herb Robert *
Horehound, Water
Horseweed
Indian Tobacco
Knotgrass, Common *
Knotweed, Virginia (Jumpseed)
Lady's Thumb, Spotted *
Live-Forever *
Medick, Black *
Motherwort *
Mountain Mint, Virginia
Nightshade, Eastern Black
Parsnip, Water
Pilewort (American Burnweed)
Plantain, English *
Queen Anne's Lace *
Ragweed, Great
Stickseed, Virginia
Sunflower, Pale Leaved
Tea, Oswego
Thistle, Bull *
Touch-Me-Not, Spotted
Vervain, White
Willow Herb, Purple-Veined (P-leaved)
Wood Sorrel, Yellow

Yarrow, Common *

            Then I found one wild flower that I am not sure about. The plant looks like a violet but the flower does not fit the pattern correctly:

[Note from Colin Chapman via Instagram:

"The flower has been affected by some pathogen. Youre right, the petals look weird, but the calyx is typical and everything else points to Labrador Violet (V. labradorica) if you ask me!"]

Tea Bag Notes

            I have been drinking "Traditional Medicinal Herbal Teas" for several years first thing in the morning. This morning I mixed Hibiscus & Ginger teas with a spoonful of honey and a spoonful of chia but I suddenly noticed that there were quotes on the tea bag tabs. How have I not seen these before? Have they always been there? Wondering.

            On Friday I did my usual wild flower walks on the Royal Botanical Gardens property. Here is one of my finds:

White Lettuce

aka White Snakeroot

Prenanthe Blanche

(Nabalus albus)

(was Prenanthes alba)

Running +

            The sumac is already showing fall colours.

            The training run for the day was 27 km. Thanks to Ann Myhals for running company on the first 16 k and to Anita Bosagri-Chevarie for bike company on the last 11 k.

            As you can see from the chart, I did fairly well for the first 20 k then started faltering and then ended up walking for most of the last 3 or 4 km. My feet were really getting sore by the end and I was also running out of energy in spite of all the water, Stingers, Pretzels and Gels supplements. The +26 (+35)C temperatures i.e. +79 (+95)F for my U.S. friends, may have also been a factor.

            Our dog, Sadie, likes to wait under the breakfast table for me to finish breakfast as she knows that after breakfast we go out for a walk. That being said, during the heat of the summer and during this past month of mosquitoes, she has not been quite as keen as she used to be for going out.

Procyon

        Procyon is, according to Wikipedia, the 8th brightest star in the sky. My camera caught it before sunrise this morning. I did not see it with my eye but the camera did.

Starting Again?

          It was dark enough and clear enough this morning that I was able to see the stars Castor and Pollux in the constellation of Gemini while I was doing my Tai Chi on the east porch. They almost make up for the fact that the early-morning, before-sunrise birds are not singing so early these days. I did hear a Cardinal a half hour before sunrise but the sun is coming up so late these days . . .

        The blog seems a bit late too. It's been a long time since my last post.

Eastern Comma Butterfly

Photo from August 29, 2018

Taken in our west meadow