Sheep Laurel, Indian Hemp, St. John's-wort, Steeplebush, Rough Cinquefoil, Alfalfa

Sheep Laurel is native evergreen shrub that is toxic which explains its other name of Sheepkill or Lambkill.

Indian Hemp or Hemp dogbane features white to greenish-white, tubular-bell-shaped flowers.

St. John's-wort petals have black glands or spots along their margins. This plant was covered with St, John's Wort beetles.

Steeplebush or White Meadowsweet is deciduous shrub found in wet soils, ditches and meadows.

Rough Cinquefoil is a common weed in disturbed areas and moist soil. The five petals are often heart-shaped.

Alfalfa is a legume known for its forage value. It has purple flowers in clusters.

Monarch Butterfly, Milkweed Bugs, Carpenter's Square, Goatsbeard, Green-flowered Pyrola

Saw two Monarch Butterflies - the first of the year.

Milkweed Bugs have a black body with red or orange markings. They feed on milkweeds.

Carpenter's Square, also called Maryland Figwort, has a four-sided stem and small, sac-shaped flowers that are greenish-purple in color.

Beardtongue gets its name from the small, sterile stamen inside the flower that is covered in fine hairs.

Green-flowered Pyrola is a mixotroph, meaning it acquires carbon through both photosynthesis and by drawing nutrients from root fungi that are connected to nearby trees.

Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Shining Ladies Tresses, Butter-and-eggs, White Sweet Clover

Lanceleaf Coreopsis is found in sunny meadows. It has bright yellow, ray-like petals that are deeply notched.

Shining Ladies-tresses have small white flowers arranged in a spiral pattern.

Butter-and-eggs or Yellow Toadflax flowers are snapdragon-like with yellow petals and a bright orange throat.

White Sweet Clover is a member of the pea family. It has spikes of small, white flowers.

Arrowwood Viburnum, Poison Ivy, Low Baby's Breath, Moneywort

Arrowwood Viburnum has flat-topped clusters of white flowers. In late summer it produces blue-black berries.

Even the flowers of Poison Ivy contain urushiol which causes an allergic rash in most people.

Low Baby's Breath has small, delicate pink flowers. It grows in disturbed areas.

Moneywort, also called Creeping Jenny, forms dense mats. It thrives in moist, riparian areas. It has bright yellow five-petaled flowers.

Tall Meadow Rue

Tall Meadow Rue poses against ferns. It is also called king of the meadow.

Lesser Toadflax, Daisy Fleabane, Curly Dock

Lesser Toadlfax, also called Small Toadflax or Dwarf Snapdragon, is found in railroad ballast.

Daisy Fleabane, or Annual Fleabane, is known for its daisy-like flowers with yellow centers.

Curly Dock is identifiable by its densely packed whorls of small, yellowish-green flowers.

Whorled Loosestrife, Orange Hawkweed, Canada Frostweed, Mountain Laurel

Whorled Loosestrife is a native plant found in woodlands and clearings. Its leaves are arranged in whorls around the stem.

Orange Hawkweed has distinctly bright orange petals surrounding a yellow center.

Canada Frostweed only opens in bright sunshine for a few hours.

Mountain Laurel is beginning to open its flowers.

Maple-leaved Viburnum, Maiden Pink, Wood Sorrel, Wild Geranium, Greater Stitchwort

Maple-leaved Viburnum is a deciduous shrub. The small, striped beetle is a flower longhorn beetle.

Maiden Pink is a mat forming perennial. Its 5 petals are pink and have a dark band near the base.

Wood Sorrel has clover-like, heart-shaped leaves that fold up at night.

Wild Geranium has ten stamens with yellow tips that darken over time.

Greater Stitchwort has star-shaped, white flowers that have 5 deeply notched petals making them appear to have ten.

Northern Bush Honeysuckle, Beauty Bush, Blue Toadflax

Northern Bush-honeysuckle is a small shrub featuring small, yellow, tubular flowers.

Beautybush, a garden escape, is identified by its bell-shaped flowers with orange throat markings.

Blue Toadflax is a native wildflower known for its small blue-violet petals and a white throat. It's found in sandy soils and disturbed aeas.

American Cancer-root, Bittersweet Nightshade, Strawberry, Carrion Flower

American Cancer-root, previously called Squawroot or Bearcorn, it lacks chlorophyll and gets its nutrients from the roots of oak and beech trees.

Bittersweet Nightshade is a woody vine in the potato family that has star-shaped purple flowers with bright yellow stamens.

Saw my first Strawberry of the season.

Carrion Flower gets its name from the fetid odor it produces to attract flies as pollinators. They are dioecious, meaning male and female reproductive organs are located on entirely separate plants. Both plant types must grow near each other for pollination and fruit production. Female plant:

Male plant: