![]() Being one of the earliest to bloom, it will also be the earliest to fruit.Ĭhokecherry – Prunus virginiana – has 4-5” oblong, pointed leaves with fine teeth all along the edges. Flowers are arranged along a central stalk. Serviceberry/Saskatoon – Amelanchier alnifolia – has oval 1-1.5” leaves with a few teeth arrayed around the upper ½. Our native roses blooms in July–very soon! and produce “hips” – the tough hypanthium with dry fruits/seeds inside. (image wikipedia)Īll these plants are related to cultivated fruits we eat: apples, plums, pears, peaches-also in the Rose Family. The fruits will be a combination of swollen protective hypanthiums and the mature seeds in the center. In the very center of this cup-like feature, sit the female ovaries and eggs that will form the seeds. Hypanthium structures are common in the Rose Family. These three whorls merge into a cup-like hypanthium that will later swell and protect the seeds. They all have five green sepals, five white petals, and anthers (the pollen bearing parts) in multiples of 5. These common shrubs grow from a few feet to up to almost 20’ tall. The velvet red splotches are actually formed by tiny galls created by mites: Ī June Parade of White Blooms in the Rose Family: ![]() Often I see the leaves mottled with a deep red “fungus”. The leaves are 3-5 lobed, with some saw-like teeth along the edges. By now in late June you can see the beginning of the fruits forming – the double winged samaras – that will twirl to new realms later in the fall. Mountain Maple – Acer glabrum – has inconspicuous flowers that are pollinated by wind or perhaps some insects? Each flower is usually male or female to prevent self-pollination. The underlying bark is yellow with “berberine” which has medicinal properties. The flowers are remarkably fragrant and last a long time. In spring the “evergreen” leaves remain, although a bit tattered, until the new leaves replace them. Several thick holly-like leaflets form along the central petiole to comprise a compound leaf. It grows in sun or shade, often on very rocky soils. Oregon Grape – Mahonia repens – is one of our few evergreen shrubs and is particularly tough. Later twin red berries will loll upon the green of the leaves…but not until late July. The trumpet-like, pale yellow flowers are found in pairs, their ovaries attached at the very base. Utah Honeysuckle – Lonicera utahensis – has oval leaves that are arranged opposite each other on the stems. Plants, though, can propagate vegetatively from broken stems stuck in the mud, as along flooded rivers or around beaver ponds. Only a couple of seeds out of a million will sprout and grow up at all. The teensie seeds are viable for only a few days, and they must land on moist open ground to germinate. Along with their relatives the cottonwoods, they are creating blizzards. By late June the female capsules are bursting with thousands of seeds attached to a tufts of fluff being dispersed by wind. ![]() ![]() They come in male and female versions, are pollinated by insects (not by wind, as previously thought) starting in April. We usually welcome their early spring catkins-pussy willows. They are very important for wildlife: pollinating bees, nesting birds, browsing moose, and dam-building beaver to name a few. – There are many, many types of willows of all sizes. The following are more or less in flower sequence within their group. Note: Shrubs are woody plants usually between 6”-20’ tall with multiple stems vs. The rest of the year, shrubs are usually overlooked as just green bushes or just twigs. Most shrubs are most appreciated in spring when they bloom, although some will have colorful foliage and fruits for a short time in fall. Separately, we will post Wildflowers in Sageflats and Hills/Sun and Wildflowers in Forests/shade. So many so that here we present them by type-here are the shrubs, which come into their own when in full flower. ![]()
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