Sunday, August 30, 2026

Late Summer Flowers #ShadowshotSunday

Today, some late summer flowers. 

These are pink turtleheads. I bought one plant at a farm market in Asheville, North Carolina in 2012.  I also bought a white turtlehead but it didn't survive.  Turtleheads are a native wildflower to where I live, but I found out recently that while the white turtleheads are native to where I live, the pink ones aren't.  However they are native to where I bought the plant.

Finally, (hiss boo) Japanese knotweed in bloom.  It's lovely when in bloom.  But:  it  was brought over to the United States as an ornamental and erosion control plant around 1873.  By the 1930's it was considered a major problem.  It reproduces vegetatively and is found on all continents except Antarctica.  The only good thing I can say about it is that the honey bees make from it is delicious.

Joining up with Lisa at This and That: A Blog for her #ShadowshotSunday. 

9 comments:

  1. It is pretty, like a lot of invasives are. Of course I wouldn't dare plant it.

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  2. I love your plant shadows.
    The whole thing with non-native invasive plants is a problem. (As you know)

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  3. I've never heard of either of these but I like the pink ones.

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  4. ...on the awful scale, Japanese knotweed is right up there with phragmites.

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  5. I really like the pink ones, Alana. It's a shame about the invasive plants and insects. We have them here in Montreal, too. Thank you so much for sharing.

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  6. Is the Japanese Knotweed similar to kudzu?

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  7. It's interesting how many invasive plants are just everywhere now.

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  8. Ten years after buying that pink turtlehead in Asheville and still having it blooming in your garden is such a lovely bit of gardening history, especially knowing that it has a connection to the place where you found it. The Japanese knotweed made me laugh too because it really is one of those plants where you can appreciate the flowers while still knowing what a menace it is. Nature has a funny way of giving us beautiful things that come with a catch. And I had no idea honey bees make such good honey from knotweed, so I learned something new from your little “hiss boo” flower today.

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  9. Invasives can be so pretty, and pollinators can love them, however, they do cause terrible problems. I love the purple loosestrife along the roadsides, but they are clogging the creeks and ditches.

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