September 07, 2012

As the North Country summer transforms into fall, the landscape is marked by color. By the end of the month, hills and stream sides will be covered by picturesque fall leaves. There will be the dark red of red maple, the brilliant orange of sugar maple, and the deep purple blushes of hobblebush. And while many people look forward to that time of leafy vibrancy, I often find this time of year prior to that time of full leaf color to be among my favorites. Part of my love is because of migrating birds as I discussed last week, but part of it is due to late summer wildflowers that blossom beneath the still-warm sun.

Rough-stemmed Goldenrod
Rough-stemmed goldenrod may be the most common goldenrod in the area, partly distinguished by the bristly hairs on its stem - hence its name.

We are at the point in the year when our leaves are hinting at their future brilliance, and wildflowers line roads and trails across the region with color. As a result, I love this transition time when there is color from the ground to the changing treetops, and every day the arrangement of the composition is different. We are predicted to have cool nights this week which will hasten the awakening of tree colors as well as the death of wildflowers which will soon turn into heads of seed for next year's generation. So now is the time to get out and enjoy them.

New England Aster
New England asters offer a deep purple to the colors of early fall.

I often walk the Bloomingdale Bog Trail – particularly from the south end near Saranac Lake – and the trail is lined with color. Flat-topped asters and rough-stemmed goldenrod are most common in the mix, but there are New York and New England asters, daisy fleabane, bladder campion, and others. Their names are as varied as their shapes and colors. That backdrop is found across the region – late summer and early fall are great times to work on wildflower identification. In fact, if you are interested in learning wildflowers, now is a good time to start by buying a field guide. My personal favorite wildflower guide for this region is Newcomb's Wildflower Guide. This guide offers a great user-friendly identification system, and may be the best wildflower guide for any region that I've seen.

Five Ponds
Wildflowers line the trail along a swampy area in the Five Ponds Wilderness in the western Adirondacks.

But get out soon. Cool nights will soon trigger the end of wildflowers, as leaves rise up to replace them in the pallet of the landscape. So take a walk on your favorite trail and enjoy them. 

Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
There are a couple species of joe-pye weed (isn't that a great name!?) in the area. Spotted joe-pye weed has a purple-spotted or sometimes solid purple stem.
Rough-stemmed Goldenrod
Rough-stemmed goldenrod may be the most common goldenrod in the area, partly distinguished by the bristly hairs on its stem - hence its name.
New England Aster
New England asters offer a deep purple to the colors of early fall.
Five Ponds
Wildflowers line the trail along a swampy area in the Five Ponds Wilderness in the western Adirondacks.
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
There are a couple species of joe-pye weed (isn't that a great name!?) in the area. Spotted joe-pye weed has a purple-spotted or sometimes solid purple stem.

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