Autumn Blooming Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

Friends of the Wildflower Garden

Seasonal Photos - Autumn Mix

Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary

From year to year I become more and more attached to wild asters. They are so varied in color, habit, and form. The one I look at last, I like best of all. Eloise Butler.

In mid September and October as many plants prepare for winter rest, there is still abundant color in the Upland Garden. Asters predominate. The multi-colored fruits of various plants are quite visible. More photos, identification and descriptive information on each plant is found in the site index. Alternate common names for plants are listed in ( ).

**Side-flowering Aster (Calico Aster)** (*Symphyotrichum lateriflorum*). Family: Aster. Found in the Upland Garden this aster has very small flower heads with white to slight purple tinged rays, lance shape leaves.

Many Flowered Aster — **White Heath Aster** **(Many-flowered Aster).** (*Symphyotrichum ericoides*) Family: Aster. A medium height aster of the Upland Garden with white flowers. Leaves small, narrow .5 to 1.5 inches long, with rough edges

**New England Aster** (*Symphyotrichum novae-angliae*). One of the most beautiful of the asters in the Upland Garden. The plants are tall with the leaves distinctively clasping the stem. At the east end of the Upland Garden a large group of these asters are rose colored instead of the more common purple shown here.

**Western Silver Aster (Silky Aster)** (*Symphyotrichum sericeum*). One of the full sun fall asters in the Upland Garden. Short plants with profuse blooms. Leaves pale green, silky, silver tint, smooth edges.

**Gray Dogwood** (*Cornus racemosa*). Family: Dogwood. The white flowers of late spring give way to very white fruit with very conspicuous red stalks. Upland Garden.

American Highbush Cranberry Fruit — **Highbush Cranberry (American Cranberrybush)** (*Viburnum opulus* var. americanum). Family: Viburnum. Easily recognized in the fall by the clusters of bright red berries, this tall shrub is found back by the pool in the Woodland Garden. The berries can be used for jellies and will remain through the winter if not all eaten by the birds in the fall.

Rosehips — **Rose hips.** Seed of the **Smooth Rose** (*Rosa blanda*). Upland Garden. Here is a **comparison list** of the wild roses in the Garden.

**White Rattlesnake Root** (*Prenanthes alba*). Family: Aster. Upland Garden. Flowers can range from white to greenish and yellowish. Native to most of Minnesota except the SW.

**Witch Hazel** (*Hamamelis virginiana*) Family: Witch Hazel. A Woodland shrub that blooms in late fall, just before frost. Seeds mature the following summer.

**White Turtlehead** (*Chelone glabra*). Family: Figwort. The genus name means 'tortoise' and is appropriate to the shape of the flowers.

Red Stemmed Aster — **Purplestem Aster (Red-stemmed Aster)** (*Symphyotrichum puniceum*). A lighter shade of violet than the New England Aster, the leaves have a clasping base and the stem is, of course, purple-reddish. Flowers can be up to 1- 1/2 inches wide. Woodland Marsh.

**Stiff Goldenrod** (*Oligoneuron rigidum*). [old *Solidago rigida*]. Family: Aster. Upland Garden. The Oligoneurons have unbranched hairy stems and flat-topped clusters of bright yellow flower heads.

**Showy Goldenrod** (*Solidago speciosa*). Family: Goldenrod. One of the late blooming goldenrods in the Upland Garden, distinctive for the large branching flower clusters.

red sumac — A red apparition in the Upland Garden. **Staghorn Sumac** (*Rhus hirta*) in fine fall color.

**White Panicle Aster** (*Symphyotrichum lanceolatum*) [*Aster simplex*]. Family: Aster. White to slightly violet tinged flowers, no more than one inch wide, these nice specimens grow among the sunflowers in the Upland Garden.

©Friends of the Wildflower Garden, Inc. All photos are G D Bebeau unless otherwise credited by copyright. Links on the plant name will link to an information sheet with more photos of each plant. www.friendsofeloisebutler.org [012826]