Friday, July 19, 2013

The Rattlesnake Master of Manhattan

Two weeks ago last Friday, on another hot Friday afternoon, my spouse and I walked the High Line, an elevated park in Manhattan, in New York City.  Come along with me on a virtual walk and you will see a "rattlesnake master."  But first...
Clethra barbinervis
 These pictures were taken near the Gansevoort Street entry point of the High Line.  The Clethra
 might not be hardy where I live in upstate New York but, I think it is attractive.  It's supposed to have good fall color, too.
Clerodendrum trichotomum
Eryngium yuccifolium
This last plant above is commonly called rattlesnake master.  There's even a run in Illinois named after this prairie plant.  It was named out of a belief that its root could be used to treat rattlesnake bite. (For my European readers, rattlesnakes are a poisonous snake of North and South America.) From my research, this doesn't appear to grow in upstate New York, but could possibly grow in the New York City area.  I've certain never seen this here.

Thanks to the bloom guide on the High Line website, I was able to identify the flowers in this post.
Ruellia humilis

Finally, deviating from the white theme - a flower I have not seen in years (I don't think) - wild petunia.

Only strange people like me, I guess, visit Manhattan to see wildflowers.  But, in the annals of strange, I'm sure this doesn't even rate.

Do you visit places known mainly for one thing, to see something totally different?

9 comments:

  1. I grew up thinking wwhat you called a rattlesnake master was a weed to be eradicated! (Of course, we only had plain old snakes in the neighborhood, with no need to master the rattler!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well,think of all those people you caused to die because you pulled up what they needed to survive the bites. Shame on you!

      Delete
  2. LOVE your photos. Such a treat to see your flora and fauna!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hee hee, wish it was mine. Wish there was a High Line in downtown Binghamton, New York!

      Delete
  3. I didn't know Manhattan had wild flowers! Awesome photographs, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the complement. Actually, Manhattan, besides the High Line, has another piece of nature - the 843 acre Central Park. And there are other nature preserve/park areas throughout the city, many unknown to tourists.

      Delete
  4. Your photos and descriptions with information about the plants and flowering ones are so good! I like to go to Santa Barbara rather than Los Angeles when we go to places like the Botanical Garden or Zoo and such things for vacation. One Santa Barbara is like where we live here at the beach and second, Santa Barbara is safer and a joy to go to. I will have to share after we get home from the Botanical Gardens there. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. For my ID's I can thank the monthly "What's in Bloom on the High Line" pdf available on the High Line website. I am nowhere near an expert on wildflower ID. I'd love to hear more about Santa Barbara. I've not been to California in many, many years.

      Delete
  5. Hi there! Stopping by again - love your pics! :-)

    Well, tomorrow, hubby and I are going to an annual event here in Maine called the Yarmouth Clam Festival. While it does feature clams - there are lots of other foods (lobster, scallops, fries, onion rings, pizza, and of course - fried dough!) AND art and craft exhibits (my favorite), carnival rides, and music.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting! Your comments mean a lot to me, and I appreciate each one. These comments are moderated, so they may not post for several hours. If you are spam, you will find your comments in my compost heap, where they will finally serve a good purpose.