Love it! The biggest reason I keep coming back to #silverbloggers is... I am in my comfort zone. I enjoy the company, it's just that simple. I feel welcomed with open arms.

And now, for Public Service Announcement...

That photo of the flower looks like Dame's Rocket to me.... I got some from my mom 90 miles away and planted it in my woods. BIG MISTAKE. It spread rapidly and was chocking out all my native understory plants. Four years in a row now I've been pulling and pulling and burning the stuff.
Looks lovely, right?

That “pretty purple flower” is a menace. The diminutive lavender blossom is native phlox. Dame’s Rocket will choke it out. Must pull and kill more pretty flowers to save the natives!

I planted this mistake. I'm still paying for it.

Johnny Nativeseed
Block quote below:
If you are seeing these flowers starting to pop up now....KILL THEM. They are invasive, and chemically colonize the soil in THEIR favor, harming the ability of native plant seeds to even germinate, much less thrive.
This is the Beautiful Monster called Dames Rocket.
Pluck off their flowerheads and dispose in black non compost bins.
Here is some more info on Dames Rocket:
Dames Rocket, scientifically known as (Hesperis matronalis) is an herbaceous plant species in the family Brassicaceae family and it has numerous common names, including the above mentioned dame's rocket, it is also called damask-violet, dame's-violet, dames-wort, dame's gilliflower, night-scented gilliflower, queen's gilliflower, rogue's gilliflower, summer lilac, sweet rocket, mother-of-the-evening, and winter gilliflower.
(Hesperis matronalis) has been a cultivated species for a long time, and grows best in full sun to partial shade where soils are moist with good drainage.
It is loved by black thumb gardeners because it is undemanding and self-seeds quickly, forming dense stands.
Where one finds extensive monotypic stands of dame's rocket they become visible from great distances.
These dense collections of plants have the potential to crowd out young native species when growing outside of cultivated areas.
The successful spread of dame's rocket in North America is attributed to its prolific seed production and because the seeds are often intentionally included in prepackaged "wildflower seed" mixes sold for "naturalizing", because it guarantees the manufacturer plausible deniability for customer satisfaction.
The plants typically produce a low-lying rosette of foliage the first year; in subsequent years, blooming and seed production occurs in tandem throughout the blooming season.
This species is commonly found in roadside ditches, dumps and in open woodland settings, where it is noticed when in bloom. Although it makes an attractive, hardy garden plant, it has been found to be ecologically invasive in North America.
*If you can't beat it, eat it!
The young leaves are high in vitamin C and can be eaten in salads and have a slightly sour, bitter taste. Seeds can be sprouted and also eaten in salads, and are of high nutritional value.
There is never a reason to keep Dames Rocket, not even as food.
All comments professing love for, or harboring of this invasive species will be removed, and your status as a friend, scrutinized.
If ecological facts upset you...scolling on is an acceptable tactic.
#plantnative
#LivingTheNativeLife