Watson Native Plant Preserve | Part II

Catching up on the last bits of our trip to east Texas last month as I am going to have more photos again soon because we trekked back over there today to see snowy orchids in bloom and to walk around a tupelo swamp. I still have photos from a trip to San Bernard NWR a few weekends ago to process as well, so more is coming!

New Jersey Tea, Ceanothus americanus – This is a plant I’ve heard a lot about from gardeners in the northeast but I had never come across it before. Lovely little plant—I wonder if deer like it?

Swamp Titi, Cyrilla racemiflora – The flowers were already mostly faded this weekend.

Grassleaf Yellow-eyed Grass, Xyris baldwiniana

Golden Miller’s-Maid, Aletris aurea—I was already familiar with another colicroot, Aletris lutea from Florida and it was nice to see a cousin out there!

Sandswamp Whitetop Sedge, Rhynchospora latifolia

Red Milkweed, Asclepias rubra – We are on the hunt to find seeds of these. Looks like Everwilde had some at one point but they are currently sold out.

Pitcher plants and tuberous grasspink orchids—a combination that has already faded! I might have seen only one of these orchids still in bloom on our visit today.

A swallowtail ovipositing.

Eastern Bluebird, Sialia sialis

Fewflower Milkweed, Asclepias lanceolata

Maryland Meadowbeauty, Rhexia mariana

American White Waterlily, Nymphaea odorata – Lake Hyatt, the lake the property sits adjacent to, is covered with these. It really is a gorgeous sight to see!

Maryland Milkwort, Polygala mariana – I meant to go back today and look for these again because my photos are slightly out of focus and I didn’t take very many. Next year!

Hollow Joe-Pye Weed, Eutrochium fistulosum

Hot and sweaty kid—and it wasn’t nearly as hot and humid last month as it is now!

A paler form of Calopogon tuberosus

Single-stem Scurfpea, Orbexilum simplex – This was a neat find along the trail near the house and the bracken fern and I was able to figure it out in the Wildflowers of the Big Thicket book on our drive home last month. It has since changed names from what it is labeled as in this book.

Another Asclepias rubra closer to the boardwalks down near the pond. I love the color variation in these—some are paler, others are more vibrant with some darker magenta tones in there as well.

Sanguine Purple Coneflower, Echinacea sanguinea telling us goodbye as we exited the preserve. They are still there but fading fast!

It was really great to return again this month and see what has changed since I took these photos. What a place to visit on a monthly, even a weekly basis just to see the changing of the blooming seasons!