Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you well. The rain in the forecast seems to have disappeared, other than the 3-4/10 of an inch twice earlier in the last week (or the week before). Tuesday night we had a little rain, but the rain gauge only said 1/10″. There was more in the forecast for Wednesday afternoon, but it didn’t happen. So, it is still very dry. Temps have been in the upper 80’s-90 every day which is what was in the forecast.

On Sunday, September 24, I decided to take a walk to the south hayfield and the southeast pasture to see what I could of couldn’t find… The front part of the southeast hayfield gets some afternoon shade, so there is some green even though it is dry.

Not far from the entrance of the south hayfield, I found several Ageratina altissima (White Snakeroot). They like at least a little shade for them to do well, and this time of the year they really flourish and are in full bloom. There are a lot of these plants growing in the area north of the chicken house. They are not good plants and are toxic to humans, livestock, and deer. This is the species that causes milk sickness as its toxin (tremetol) is passed through the milk from cattle and goats. Tremetol can also contaminate the meat… Despite its toxicity, insects feed on the nectar with no issue. I didn’t see any butterflies or other insects on the flowers of these plants… I took a few more photos of, or relating to the White Snakeroot later on the walk…

There were a few hit-and-miss Symphyotrichum lanceolatum (Tall White Aster) in the south hayfield. This is not an abundant species here on the farm, in fact, I first identified it from a single small colony in the main hayfield last summer. There were so many Erigeron annuus (Annual Fleabane) last summer that one would never know unless you accidentally stumbled on a lookalike…

Symphyotrichum lanceolatum has 16-50 ray florets in 1-2 series so this one is certainly within those parameters… Hmmm… Am I sure? That is a secret. 🙂

One thing for sure, the involucral bracts say this plant is definitely a Symphyotrichum species. It is the only species in the genus on the farm that has white flowers that grow in full sun. OH WAIT A MINUTE!!! I forgot about the Symphyotrichum pilosum (Hairy White Oldfield Aster). HMMM… That species has 15-35 ray florets! GEEZ! Maybe these photos are of S. pilosum! Now I am confused AGAIN… It’s really easy to be confused with some of the species in this genus.

I started walking toward the edge of where the blackberries grow but noticed those darn sticktights were everywhere! Most of the time I call them Desmodium followed by a name I can write here. Well, we are adult humans, so I am sure you would have the same opinion. So, I walked inside the hayfield instead of the edge of where the blackberries are growing.

I noticed some grass taller than the Purple Top and got a little excited. I zoomed in a little and took a shot before rushing to the spot…

Now isn’t that exciting? Tripsacum dactyloides (Eastern Gamagrass) in the south hayfield!

WOW! To the right was a much larger bunch. I suppose this grass has been here for a while (duh) but I just haven’t noticed it. I normally don’t run around in the hayfield that much before it gets cut because it is hard to walk in. Since there was no hay to cut, this grass had a chance to get somewhere. Kevin usually cuts the hay at 3-4″ and this species doesn’t like it below 6″. That is because it needs a good amount of carbohydrates that is stored in its leaves to regrow. I attempted to collect seeds from this grass in the main hayfield, but I am not certain if I was able to get seeds or just what was left after the seeds fell out. We shall see…

Hmmm… No caption needed! I was so excited about the Gama Grass I didn’t pay any attention to the “you know what” in the midst of everything. GEEZ!

There are very few Erigeron annuus (Annual Fleabane) even in the south hayfield where they are normally everywhere. Same as the situation in the main hayfield.

Yes, I am certain about this one. Well, my fingers are crossed since it does have a look-alike. Erigeron strigosus is quite similar but isn’t so “weedy”. I take that to mean they don’t spread as rampant as E. annuus. One has more of a shaggy appearance but I forgot which is which without doing the research AGAIN… I had come to the conclusion the species here is E. annuus so I am sticking with it…

Hmmm… I walked toward the area where the blackberries are growing and stumbled upon, of all things, a Primrose. In the hayfield!!! Ok, I suppose that isn’t so unusual except for the fact I have never seen them in the hayfield. There is A LOT of Oenothera biennis (Common Evening Primrose) growing in the cracks of what used to be the back porch of my grandparent’s old house. For the past several years quite a few have been growing in the flower bed next to the porch… The bed I made in the early 1980’s… Until now I haven’t seen them anywhere else on the farm or even on backroads. This year I noticed a small colony along the highway just past a nearby town (Calhoun). I had been working on a house in Clinton so I passed the colony several days in a row. Then one day the highway crew mowed them off…

The Missouri Plants website lists 12 species of Oenothera native to Missouri…

My internet has been quite slow for a while, but lately, it has been insane! I am having a hard time uploading photos…

Walking north in front of the blackberry jungle, I noticed a nice cluster of Symphyotrichum lanceolatum (Tall White Aster). Perhaps I shouldn’t jump the gun on this one since I wasn’t right next to it. Yeah, I zoomed in because of what was growing around it. OUCH!!! After I took the photo, I walked away and thought, “What if it isn’t even a Symphyotrichum species?” So, I went back, reached in, and made sure. It is definitely a Symphyotrichum, but I didn’t count the petals. Well, even if I did I would be guessing. I’m not sure, but I think the plants are the only ones that know their true identity while we humans just guess… Some species I know well, but others would require a lot more time to identify in the field and I would have to carry around notes. I am sure I can come up with more reasons (excuses) to just take a guess.

I came to the east end of the south hayfield and had to make a decision. I wanted to walk along the fence of the hayfield on my way back, but I also wanted to take a look at the back pasture… Hmmm… It was already almost 6 PM…

I decided I should go to the back pasture and see what it looks like. There is one particular place I like to cross that isn’t that bad. Going through at the corner would be impossible since there are A LOT of tall blackberry brambles to walk through. The particular spot I walk through doesn’t even have Poison Ivy! There is a fence, but I can step right over it.

Once out in the open, I looked toward the end of the back pasture, toward what I call the swamp. I call the whole area behind the south hayfield the back pasture. It gets good afternoon shade because of the trees growing in the fence row. There is some grass growing thanks to the Purple Stem and the Tall Fescue.

Looking north, you can see the trees on the left between the south hayfield and back pasture. To the right are trees on the neighbor’s property that follow a creek. The fence row has a few Multiflora Roses, Eastern Red Cedar, and of course Japanese Honeysuckle.

There has always been a good-sized colony of Solidago at the end of the grassy area of the back pasture. Past them, it is normally a mixture of blackberry briars and more blackberry briars… That may sound weird, but it is true. There is a HUGE mulberry tree in the area and past that is a band of small trees…

Just on the other side of the Goldenrod is an area that is usually grown up, but this year I was able to walk through it. Strange how a lot of “crap” seems to be missing here. When we had cattle grazing the back pasture, I had an electric fence in this area so they couldn’t farther down. Tree limbs and blackberry briars made it difficult to maintain the electric fence. As the briars grew farther into the pasture, I would move the fence.

In 2020, a fence was built along the boundary of the south hayfield all the way down to the east boundary fence. We decided to move the fence maybe 60′ or so in front of the old fence. The old fence runs along the boundary and is normally standing in water. There is now a cattle panel for a gate just in case the cows get out. Hmmm… Whenever and if the tenant puts cattle here. If you don’t remember from past posts, the Rock Island Railroad ran along the south side of the farm, which is now part of the Katy (MKT) Trail. On the other side is the city park with a good-sized lake. The lake was once used to fill steam locomotives with water. There is a large culvert where the lake drains. There is also a spillway on the south side of the lake.

This area has changed a lot since I returned in 2023. The swampy area was once filled with Impatiens capensis (Jewelweed) then it was taken over by a species of reed grass. Since this summer has been so dry, even it has refused to grow…

Hmmm… I wonder how many more I can get on my pants?

Walking back into the pasture, there is a lot of Asclepias syriaca (Common Milkweed) going to seed now. The plants in the back pasture are always a little behind those in the main hayfield. Likely because the area gets shade in the afternoon.

There were thousands of Rudbeckia hirta (Black-Eyed Susan) in this area earlier in the summer. Now there are none. There is not even a trace of old stems and seeds…

Hmmm… I was walking along the treeline where there were quite a few White Snakeroots are in flower. I noticed this Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady) so I zoomed in to get a shot. I noticed something weird… It seemed very friendly… It was DEAD! It was hanging by its tongue… White Snakeroot, as you know, is highly toxic but butterflies and other insects can feed on the nectar without harm. Do you think, since there aren’t many flowers to feed on, that too much of a good thing could be lethal?

I knew it was a Painted Lady because of past identifications, but I have no observations posted on iNaturalist nor any photos in my folders. Hmmm… Something is weird… Perhaps I took photos but they were too blurry to save but OK for an ID. According to information online, the Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) is the most widespread of all butterfly species…

There were still a few Cirsium altissimum (Tall Thistle) blooming but most have already gone to seed. These are “user-friendly” thistles without all the prickles on their leaves and stems.

I left the back pasture and went back into the south hayfield. I walked along the fence where it had been mowed a while back.

WHOA! I almost walked right into a trap of Bidens bipinnata (Spanish Needles)! In a lot of vegetation, they are hard to see. I didn’t want to add the other sticktights on my pants!

I always like to avoid these and normally do a pretty good job.

Farther down I noticed another dead Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady) on White Snakeroot flowers… Again hanging by its tongue…

Within a few feet was an Argynnis cybele (Great Spangled Fritillary) feeding on A Cirsium altissimum (Tall Thistle) flower. These are one of my favorite butterflies to photo because they don’t fly away so fast. This one isn’t so brightly colored and his wings are torn somewhat. I told it to stay away from the White Snakeroot…

I looked ahead of me and noticed I was in a little bit of a predicament… The vegetation had grown more in this area since it was mowed. I will have to walk through it… Maybe I can get more beggarticks on my pants!

The above photo is what I just walked through (toward the east). You can see where it has been mowed farther up…

I ran across a colony of first-year Arnoglossum atriplicifolium (Pale Indian Plantain). I really like their tropical-like leaves.

If you are unsure of the species, just turn over the leaves and look for the whiteish underside.

I had wanted a few more photos of Abutilon theophrasti (Velvet Leaf) and here I found another plant. I think it was last year I found a single seed pod in the main hayfield.

This one has several seed pods and even a few green leaves! The seed pods would be great in dried arrangements.

It even had a Ipomoea hederacea (Ivy-Leaved or Blue Morning Glory) on its stem. I think the south hayfield is the only place I have seen this species of Morning Glory. This is a common species but I first identified it from plants sprawling along the ground in 2021. There is a nice older home in Clinton with Morning Glories planted along its wrought iron fence. Looks really good!

Finally a nice colony of Vernonia missurica (Missouri Ironweed).

Then I stumbled upon this plant along the fence… I identified it as Senna marilandica (Maryland or Southern Senna) but it could be another species of Senna… Another new species identified here. As you can see, it can easily be identified by its leaves and long bean-like seed pods. It is a member of the plant family Fabaceae…

There is always a large colony of Verbesina virginica (White Crownbeard/Frostweed) along the fence in the south hayfield. We are getting close to the end… This colony is short since they were mowed off previously.

Right next to the Verbesina virginica is a good-sized colony of Ageratina altissima (White Snakeroot). As with all of this species on the farm, this colony looks great…

I walked out of the south hayfield getting ready to go back to the house. I decided to walk toward the small pond to cut across the ditch there… Guess what I saw?!?!

Lo and behold it was the clump of Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (New England Aster). If you remember from the last post, I thought they had completely vanished because of the drought. I must have been a little off in the location (a few feet)… What I saw before was just stems and dried leaves so I thought it was something else. Since it rained a little since then, it grew new leaves and flowered. That is a characteristic of several species of Symphyotrichum including S. praealtum (Willowleaf Aster) which hasn’t flowered yet. I can’t find it until it blooms…

The flowers are not nearly as big as usual and not near as many. The plants are usually taller than I am, but this year they are MUCH shorter (which is another reason I couldn’t find them). At least the stems are standing upright where they are usually pretty much on the ground. One thing I appreciate about this species is that they stay put. The clump has gotten bigger, but they don’t pop up everywhere. I am relieved they are still alive!

Another plant I avoid like the plague is Torilis japonica (Japanese Hedge Parsley). I’m not going to repeat my sock story from when I was a kid. A similar species, Torilis arvensis (Common Hedge Parsley), is the same in almost every characteristic. A few years ago I became curious about the Hedge Parsley here. T. japonica has hooked barbs while T. arvensis has curved barbs. I took the magnifying glass and all I looked at had hooked barbs. A while back, a member of iNaturalist disagreed and suggested T. arvensis. I explained the difference and he thought it was the other way around… He tagged another member and he said the best way to tell was T. japonica has a whorl of bracts below the umbellets… Hmmm… I went to check and all the plants I checked were too far along to have leaves let alone bracts. Now I have to wait until next year to check… When the seed gets older, the hooks on the bristles also fall off.

I thought I would take a shot of the main pond behind the barn… It is dry and the ragweed is flourishing…

Darn! I lost a few…

Well, I better close for now. Since it is October now, at some point the potted plants will have to come inside. GEEZ!

Until next time, be safe, stay positive, and always be thankful.