Help ID Iowa wildflowers or weeds
8 years ago
I live in western Iowa zone 5A and have alot of beautiful what I think are wildflowers. Even if they are weeds, they still brighten my day and support alot of insects and wildlife so I won't be getting rid of them by any means. All of these are blooming right now in full sun and I'm curious as to the identification of any of them. None have been planted by anyone so I'm guessing they're native? The land was farmed a long time ago and has been fallow and uninhabited for the last 30+ years. I didn't take individual pictures of each plant in the wild because my download is very slow, so hopefully you can see enough of each plant to ID. The only one I do know is black-eyed susan in pic #2. Thank you.
pic #1
pic #2
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoRelated Discussions
Plant (flower or weed?) ID help
Comments (3)Pokeweed/poke berry is a native plant that provides berries for birds. The berries ripen at different times meaning it provides berries over a long period of time. If memory serves, it is one of the few plants that continue to flower while it is already producing berries. I can understand not wanting it in a more formal landscape, but I think it has a place in a more wild area. I'm growing it in my restoration project. It is great in a hedgerow....See MoreWildflower ID help
Comments (2)Looks like Persicaria pensylvanica. The name you were probably thinking of is lady's thumb, which is Persicaria vulgaris. It's possible it is that species but that usually has chevrons on the leaves....See MorePlanting wildflowers in ditch full of weeds
Comments (14)My first question is, who owns the ditch? You may have to get the approval of your local government or utility to do any work in this ditch. If you own it then plug away! As others have said, killing the existing vegetation is the first step. Since this is a ditch then I would say erosion is a concern. Therefore tilling is not a good option (though it works well with repeated disking in less erosion prone sites). Also, as others have said, smothering for small areas, herbicide for large areas. I would use an aquatic approved form of Glyphosate, such as Rodeo, Aqua-Neat or Aqua-Master. You will need at least 2 treatments, one to kill the currently living weeds and a second to kill those that emerge after the first ones die. A third treatment may even be necessary. Give it a month between treatments and watch the weather carefully so you don't apply the herbicided when rain is imminent. Sounds like you could put some wet prairie species in the bottom of your ditch and mesic prairie species along the sides. Rake off all the duff that has accumulated from the dead plants. Rake the soil throughly with a garden rake or dethatcher to prepare the soil as a seed bed. Then carefully distribute your seed, being sure not to spread it too thick in some areas and then run out in others! Once on the ground stomp on the or roll over them with something in such a way that will give you good seed to soil contact. This will be more effective if the ground is moist. For erosion prone areas such as a ditch I recommend putting down erosion control matting material after you throw down your seed. If you are only slightly worried about erosion (little overland flow and little to no water flow in the ditch) a S75 material should be fine (That's Straw with a thickness/density rating of 75). If there is a fair amount of surface water run-off or if there is occational flowing water in the ditch, then use SC150 (Straw and Coir (coconut fiber) materials, and thicker). You will need to use landscaping staples to hold this in place, use as directed by your retailer. Once all this is down, you can plant plugs right through the matting if you wish. Cut a hole in the mating with a razor knife, di stick the plugs in. You will need to add a few staples around each hole you cut in the matting to keep it matted down well on the ground. Mixing plugs into a seeded planting is a great way to get some good progress early on (you will probably get at least some flowers in the very first year) with enough native plant material present to create a solid matrix this will cover bare earth and help fend of the influx of new weeds. Good luck....See MoreWildflower & Weed ID help?
Comments (3)I think #1 is a type of Ladies Thumb. White, insignificant flowers in a cluster... #2 is a Deptford Pink. Nice, delicate...will pop up wherever. #3 is Partridgeberry. #4 is Asiatic Dayflower. All four of these are "wildflowers," or "weeds," depending on who is looking at them! I would pull up #1...not much to look at. I have #2, and leave them in my garden...they are briefly pretty--don't do well as a cut flower, though. Some people pay money for #3--I think it's a pretty little groundcover. #4, well, that's up to you. I'm not sure how invasive they get...if they are taking up prime garden real estate, I'd yank 'em! Emily...See More- 8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
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Here's one more I'm wondering about. It looks very similar to pokeweed which is nearby but the seed heads are different, not drooping like pokeweed. Any ideas?
Last two pics are better pics of the yellow and blue ones. Thank you!
way2--yes, it does look like a match!
- 8 years ago
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