Linden’s Prairie

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I had visited Linden’s Prairie in May 2025 (blog post here). My first fall visit was last week! My daughter was driving so I took some pictures as the roads got more narrow and then unpaved as we got closer.

The asters and goldenrod…a few sunflowers and azure blue sage….were the flowers still blooming (and there were a few pollinators – bees and butterflies).

I was pleased to recognize goat’s rue and lead plant from the leaves! In the springtime it is easier with their flowers.

There were woody plants to observe too: black cherry, winged sumac, and post oak (with galls).

The most numerous was winged (or shining) sumac. Some of the plants still had green leaves…others were already red. The prescribed burns might make them less dense…but doesn’t take them out completely!

It was an hour well spent!

Afterward my daughter and I went out to lunch and there were maples around the parking lot beginning to change color. We’ve had a very dry summer so are anticipating a muted fall.

Later we both had allergies…something that made our eyes and nose very watery. Both ozone and ragweed pollen were high – so it could be that combination.

Native Tree Identification Workshop (1)

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I arrived early enough for a Native Tree Identification Workshop at the Springfield Botanical Garden to take some pictures of butterflies and thistle seed ready to float away.  

The workshop was to start in a classroom and then end with seeing some trees. The classroom was set up with round tables – some with cuttings on them; I chose to sit at one of them with cuttings. The main part of the class was passing around those cutting and I took pictures of most of them!

American Elm

Red Maple

Silver Maple

Sugar Maple

 Black Oak

Black Jack Oak

Chinkapin Oak

Northern Red Oak

Pin Oak

Post Oak

White Oak

 The series is continued in tomorrow’s post…

Lake Springfield with Identifying Woody Plants Class

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This past week the field class I am taking through Missouri State University added new woody plants to our list from a walk near the  Lake Springfield boathouse. I tried to take pictures of most of the new woody plants for this week…and a few from previous weeks:

Marshmallow – Hibiscus – Malvaceae (seed pods)

Green ash – Fraxinus pennsylvanica – Oleaceae (leaves and diamond shapes in the bark)

Black willow – Salix nigra – Salicaceae (leaves/twig)

Osage orange - Maclura pomifera – Moraceae (fruit…and I now have a fruit I am attempting to dry)

Honey locust - Gledistia tricanthos – Fabaceae (tree with drying seed pods)

Privet (non-native) - Ligustrum – Oleaceae (leave with blue fruit)

American hophornbeam – Ostrya virginiana – Betulaceae (leaves with thin, strong twigs)

Post oak – Quercus stellata – Fagaceae (rounded lobed leaves)

Bur oak - Quercus macrocarpa – Fagaceae (leaves…in the red oak group…I also picked up an acorn!)

It was an interesting afternoon…but I was tired afterward.