New York ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis)

I don’t like putting my blog into summer dormancy, but I haven’t found much in the past month to photograph and write about. But I’ve been itching to start shooting again, so last week, instead of hunting for wildflowers, I decided to spend time photographing flowers a little closer to home – that is, in my own front yard, since a lot of showy native plants are flowering there now. These include both typical and oddball members of the Asteraceae: goldenrod, New York aster, New York ironweed, joe-pye weed, blue mistflower, and the somewhat weedy Carolina elephant’s foot.

Eutrochium maculatum, one of the species commonly called joe-pye weed

Aster family flowers are interesting in many ways, including their ability to attract bees and butterflies. I’ve taken over 700 photos in the past few days; once I’ve finished processing those and doing a bit of research, I’ll finally have more to post about. Stay tuned!