Fall officially arrives this week, and there are still plenty of wildflowers out there to find. September seems to bring the cardinals out too – cardinal flowers that is! I found both red and blue cardinal flowers on my latest hunt. You know what they say – “cardinals appear when angels are near”. So maybe my Gram has been joining me on my hikes! Whether you believe in those types of things or not, I hope you will be able to spot some cardinals (either flowers or birds or both) on your next adventure.
Here are my top picks from my neck of the woods. I will continued to use my “dog sizing scale” that will help put in perspective the height and size of the flowers. Wildflowers come in many shapes and sizes. A few of the flowers I shared in the August wildflower posts are still around – so make some time this fall to go exploring.
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 dew claw (3-4 inches off ground)
- My dog leg (6 inches or taller)
My Top Picks
#1 Blue Cardinal Flower (blue/purple)
Flower size: medium dog nose
Height: dog leg (or taller)
Blue cardinal flowers are also called the Great Blue Lobelia. They bloom from late summer to early fall. I found these in wet muddy areas of my woods. They are not as tall as the red cardinal flower but are just as beautiful.
#2 Red Cardinal Flower (red)
Flower size: medium dog nose
Height: dog leg (or taller)
Red cardinal flowers look like red rockets shooting out of the ground. They are one of my favorite wildflowers. They show up later in my woods – late summer early fall and are worth the wait.
#3 Pale Smartweed (white/pale pink)
Flower size: smaller than a small dog nose
Height: dog leg (or taller)
Does this wildflower make me look smart? It is called pale smartweed or nodding smartweed. It can grow up to 4 feet tall. I think it is also from the buckwheat family. I guess it kinda resembles wheat. What do you think?
Still Blooming…
Jewelweed or Touch-Me-Not (orange)
These bright orange flowers are still around but fading fast! They have little red flecks are are a pretty cool shape. They make an interesting stop for butterflies and humming birds to get a treat.
Woodland Sunflower (yellow)
Woodland sunflowers look like a bright yellow daisies. Their flowers are bigger than a large dog nose. Birds love them for thier seeds – apparently they taste delicious (if you are a bird). I am a dog, so I don’t typically eat seeds.
So there you have it friends, a few more wildflowers to hunt for this month. I hope you enjoy this September special edition of my Canine Adventures – it will be my last one on wildflowers until next spring. I look forward to this next season and sharing all my fall adventures with you. Leave me a comment or send me a pic of what you are discovering and don’t forget to share my adventures with your friends!
Bark at you next week!
Your freind,
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