Author Archives: rdolan

Tree-of-heaven, Ailanthus altissima, is a beautiful name for a pest tree.  I have heard it is one of the few species illegal to plant in Indianapolis, due to its tendency to spread aggressively via seed.  Male and female flowers are … Continue reading →

I’ve been paying more attention lately to urban wild plants, often what we would call weeds, which appear spontaneously in places like crack in sidewalk.  One of the more prettiest, even without flowers,  is purselane (Portulaca oleracea) and introduced mostly … Continue reading →

Along with Chicory (see below), Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota) is one of the great roadside wildflowers.  The common name comes from the beautiful white flowers.  They are clustered into flowering stalks called umbels, with what looks like a single … Continue reading →

Chicory (Cichorium intybus) is a striking wildflower on display this month.  It is a common roadside weed that grows so densely sometimes that it looks as if it was planted.  There is a stretch of 38th St. near the parking … Continue reading →

Hello blog readers!  I have been absent for some weeks due to my daughter’s graduation from UIndy (hurrah!) and an invited speaking engagement at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden.  Now back to local flora. Have you seen fallow farm fields of … Continue reading →

Redbud (Cercis canadensis) is in spectacular bloom this year.  Although it seems the common name should be pink or purple bud, I guess the flowers in bud are redder than when open in bloom.  I’ve always wondered how pioneers learned … Continue reading →

Silver maple (Acer saccharinum) was in full bloom a few weeks ago.  All trees bloom.  We are sometimes unaware of this because forest trees are usually not as showy as dogwoods and Ohio buckeye.  Forest trees flower early, some as early as February.  They … Continue reading →

  Harbinger-of-spring (Erigenia bulbosa), aptly named, is one of our first native woodland spring wildflowers to bloom.  This tiny member of the carrot family can sometimes be found peeking above last year’s dried tree leaves through the snow in February.  … Continue reading →

I looked for harbinger-of-spring (Erigenia bulbosa, aka salt and pepper) in the Butler University woods but couldn’t find it yet.  Some years it sticks flowers up through the snow around the last year’s decomposing tree leaves.  I did, however, find … Continue reading →