Wildflowers of Southern Middle Tennessee

I didn't use to pay too much attention to flowers. I liked them and didn't have anything against them but, other than noticing they were pretty, I didn't give them much additional thought.

However, once I started keeping bees, I started paying a lot more attention to what was blooming during honey season. As I became better at identifying flowers during the honey flow, it naturally led to more interest and curiosity in blooms year round.

In order to not lose my previous work, I've decided to keep a running list on the blog so I can go back and reference what I've discovered so far.

(disclaimer.  These are just my thoughts and observations.  There is a huge margin for error)

The flower below is called "Mouse Ears" or the Asiatic Dayflower.  Despite being kind of pretty, it's considered noxious and an invasive species.  The bloom period Mouse Ears is early September and I haven't seen many of them since.

After checking the wildflower identification site, I found that the bloom for these only lasts for one day, thus the name.  From what I've read, the bees like the color and they can be a food source but, due to their short duration, are probably not very dependable other than for a quick bite.

From 2015-09-17

The flower below is a "Late Purple Aster".  I was happy to see a large number of these start blooming this fall.  There were a lot of them that came on at the end of September and start of October.  They are a small, pretty flower and are very important for late season bee feeding.   The picture below is a little washed out because of direct sun but, to the naked eye, they are nice shade of purple, which you can see in the background blooms.

From 2015-10-04

I think the flower below is a "Bellflower".  They grow on a long stem and seem to be a favorite of the bees.  This bloom showed up around the first part of July.  Apparently it's kind of noxious and not highly desired by anyone but beekeepers.

From 2015-10-04

The flower below is the ubiquitous "Brown Eyed Susan" (or possibly the black eyed).  I'm not entirely sure how to tell the difference.  Brown/Black Eyed Susan are a pretty easy flower to identify and can be found all over in fields and on the side of the road.  Also, bees seem to love them.  The blooms show up around late June early July and seem to last for quite a while, up to a month.

From 2015-10-04

More Brown or Black Eyed Susan.  I'm not sure why the petals are different on the top flower.   Maybe it's a little dried up or something.

I'm not a 100% sure what this is.  It looks a little like Phlox but doesn't match up exactly.  The closest thing I could find was the "Carolina Wild Petunia".  The bloom showed up in late June and with it's blue/purple color and big, open landing pad, looks like it's pretty bee friendly.    I'll have to pay closer attention next year so I make sure what it actually is.

From 2015-10-04

The following two pictures show the Bergamot or "Beebalm" flower.  With a name like that, how could a bee not like it?   They're very pretty but don't seem to last too long.  These blooms showed up in mid-June and seemed to last about a week or two.


Closeup of Beesbalm

The "Woodland Pinkroot" is striking to see in the forest, with it's bright red standing out against all the green.  These aren't really bee friendly since they have a long cylindrical shape that keeps bees out.  Also, bees seem to like yellow and blue and ignore red so they probably don't pay much attention to these.  

The Woodland Pinkroot also have a short bloom period.  These showed up in mid-June and didn't stick around too long.  An additional item of interest is they are supposed to have medicinal properties but can be dangerous if not prepared properly.

From 2015-10-04

There is a lot of "St. Johns Wort" in the forest.   These started showing up in early June.and seemed to have a season of about 3 weeks to a month.    It's more of a bush than a flower and easy to identify by it's bullet shaped buds when not in season.  It's also supposed to have medicinal properties.  Being yellow and with an open flower with lots of landing spots, it's a bee favorite.

From 2015-10-04

The flower below is most likely the "Oxeye Daisy".  It's pretty but not a native species and is considered noxious and invasive.  These bloomed in early June and seemed to have a pretty long life, lasting several weeks.  Although they are white, the yellow center probably attracts bees.  It also has the nice landing platform.  I'd guess the bees probably like these.

From 2015-10-04