Ohio Wildflowers: The Dog Days of Summer

Every Wednesday, we’ll take a look back at a popular post from last year!  Maybe you are new to A.Joann, or your memory needs a reboot.  Join us to revisit our favorites.

The woods are beautiful all year ’round, but in the humid, heavy air of mid-July, there are surprises for those who look closely.

Though the sunshine is welcome, it can make photography difficult.

Ohio Wildflowers In the Sun

Photo of False sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)
False sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)

Arachnid Giganteum?

I wasn’t sure what I was seeing here. Turns out, it was a giant spider web! The patterns are so cool looking, and so geometric. This was remarkable. It was also huge, maybe four feet across. Glad I didn’t see the spider.

Photo of spider web
You can see the large triangle outline of the web attached to tree branches, and the pattern gets more intricate and dense toward the center.
Close up photo of spider web
This is as close as I could get to the web. The sun reflected off of the silk, making the dense inner pattern look like a solid wheel. Unfortunately, the reflection made it difficult to photograph.

 

More Sun, Please

Photo of White Wood Aster (Eurybia divartica)
White Wood Aster (Eurybia divartica)
Sun shining through trees in woods
The early morning sunshine illuminates the woods, revealing various shades of green.
Photo of Burdock (Arctium lappa)
Burdock (Arctium lappa) 
Photo of Spicebush, (Lindera benzoin)
The red berries of Spicebush, (Lindera benzoin) are just starting to turn.
photo of Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense)
Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense)

Canada thistle is so hard to get rid of.  Most experts say you just have to keep pulling them until their rhizome id drained of energy and dies.

Shade Lover

Red Osier dogwood (Cornus sericea)
Red Osier dogwood (Cornus sericea)

 

If you can, try to get out there early and take in the bountiful beauty of these lazy days.

?

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Author: A. JoAnn

Here is where I share the beauty I find in everyday life; and the humor, too!

8 thoughts

  2. Thank you! I was glad that I didn’t see it, but just realized that it was probably sitting right in the middle of the web.

  3. Pam,
    Good research, excellent photographs. Very educational. The spider web was beautiful! Did you get to see the spider!

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