We come past the Fall Equinox, considered the beginning of Autumn. Flowers of Spring--crocus, snow drops, daffodils--are famous. This time of year a new group of plants flower, less famous plants than those of Spring. They deserve more acknowledgement. These are the last plants to flower. Their blooms announce the very end of the growing season.
 |
| Battered butterfly on rabbitbrush (Ericameria) flowers |
What plants?
Autumn crocuses. Several quite different plants are called autumn crocuses, especially species of Colchicum (lily family, Liliaceae, also called naked ladies and meadow saffron), and saffron crocus (Crocus sativus in the iris family, Iridaceae). They have similar pink or white flowers. Invisible underground until, in September, the flowers shoot up suddenly. Their appearance tells me it is fall.
 |
| autumn crocus |
 |
| autumn crocuses |
Another fall flower is chrysanthemum (genus Chrysanthemum, sunflower family Asteraceae). The ones in the garden finally open their flowers as summer becomes fall.
 |
| chrysanthemums in the garden |
Mums are very popular across Asia, where they are part of Autumn Festival celebrations. In the U.S. as they come into bloom, they suddenly appear as football season corsages and halloween decorations.
 |
| Pots of chrysanthemums in China |
In North American meadows and grasslands, asters, such as the New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae sunflower family, Asteraceae) are among the last plants to flower. They are so striking.
 |
| New England aster, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae |
 |
In the west, rabbitbrushes (Chrysothamnus and Ericameria species, sunflower family, Asteraceae; the genus was recently divided into two) light up the countryside
 |
 |
| rubber rabbitbrush, Ericameria nauseosus |
These late-flowering plants have, through successes and failures, timed their flowering to start when there's just enough time to mature their seeds before winter cold stops all growth. They are perennials, so if the frost is early, they will try for seeds next year.
Rabbitbrush flowers provide critical food for migratory butterflies such as monarchs and painted ladies. Likely the plants count upon the drive of insects to eat! eat! eat! as temperatures cool, to put on fat so they can hibernate or migrate safely, to have lots of pollinators.
Chrysanthemums are from Asia and the naked ladies from Europe. Probably both provide end-of-season food for insects there. American butterflies, bees, flies, and beetles, and honeybees visit them in North America.
What other plants should be on this list?
Comments and corrections welcome.
A lot of warm season grasses display flowerheads in Fall. Andropogon gerardii, Panicum virgatum, Muhlenbergia spp, even imports like Miscanthus sinensis varieties.
ReplyDelete