Special Edition: August Wildflowers

My Top 5 Picks

August in my woods is HOT and STEAMY! It is also the month some of my favorite flowers turn into berries. I love watching the wildflowers become berries for my woodland friends to snack on. Remember to leave the berries for the critters. If you need a snack, stick to ones provided by your hoomans (just to make sure you to stay safe and healthy). 😉

Many of the wildflowers I am sharing this month are taller than me – but I am sticking to my “dog nose sizing scale” that will help put in perspective the size of the flower. Wildflowers come in many shapes and sizes. A few of the flowers I shared in the July wildflower posts are still around – so keep hunting!

Wildflower Size Scale:

Flower size

• Small dog nose (like a dime or smaller)
• Medium dog (like my nose the size of a quarter)
• Large dog (larger than a quarter)

Plant height

• At the paw (ground level 1-2 inches)
• My dewclaw (3-4 inches off ground)
• My dogleg (6 inches or more)

#1 Cardinal Flower (red)

Height: taller than me (but range 1-4 ft)

Flower size: medium dog nose (like mine)

When I seed cardinal flower in the woods, I jump for JOY! This very tall bright flower usually it grows straight up. Mine in this pic is a bit crooked cuz I think it was pushed by recent downpouring rain – but no worries! Look for bright red fan-shaped flowers. You can’t miss them!

#2 Touch-me-not or Jewelweed (orange)

Height: taller than me (at least 3 ft)

Flowersize: medium dog nose (like mine)

OK. So these “touch-me-nots” (also called jewelweed) are serious about thier name. If you touch them – they will fall off thier thin stems. So fair warning – do not touch! As you can see from the pic I am in… I ran around this plant and knocked all the flowers off except for one at the tippy top. Usually these look like a brightly colored bush of orange flowers with red flecks (like jewels). Their cool shape make an interesting stop for butterflies and humming birds to get a treat. My hooman sometime crushes the leaves and rubs it on her skin if she gets pricked by nettles. Native Americans have used the touch-me-not sap as a medicine to aid with anti-itch releif. I just use my hind leg to scratch an itch but it is up to you.

#3 Pokeweed (white)

Height: taller than me (at least 3 ft)

Flower size: small dog nose

Holy tallness! This plant is tall and feels like a small tree and grows FAST. One day they just sprung up in the sandy lot in my woods and they are over 5 feet tall. Not sure why they are called Pokeweeds. They are not sharpe at all, but rather have really intersting green and white flowers. They look like teeny green tomotoes with a white ruffle and will one day soon be dark purple berries.

#4 Woodland Sunflower (yellow)

Height: dogleg or taller

Flower size: larger thand a large dog nose

Woodland sunflowers are easy to spot. They look like a bright yellow daisy and grown in partial sunlight. They are also called the “Jerusalem Artichoke” but I am not sure why – since the only edible part for hoomans is the rootes. Birds love them tho cuz thier seeds are apparently delicious (if you are a bird). I am a dog, so I don’t typically eat flowers.

#5 Nightshade (purple flowers/bright red berries)

Height: my dogleg or higher – climbing vine

Flower size: medium dog nose

Ta-Da! I know I featured this flower last month but had to share with you the bright berries! This is one of my favorites – also called bittersweet. The purple flowers are now turning into green then red berries. It climbs like a vine on sapling trees and twigs at the waters edge. Never eat berries unless you know if they are safe.

So there you have it friends, 5 more wildflowers to hunt for this month. While the dog days of summer are slipping away – never fear! There is still more summer to be had and more wildflowers to find. I hope you enjoy this August special edition of my Canine Adventures. Leave me a comment or send me a pic of what you are discovering in your neck of the woods and don’t forget to share my adventures with your friends!

Bark at you next week!

Your freind, 

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