Chicory

Chicory: Queen of the Roadside!

Oakland County, MI Government 6 Comments
blue chicory blossoms

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

The sultry days of summer are here. Goldfinches flutter over meadows. Dragonflies patrol the sky. Bullfrogs sound off from ponds. Tomatoes ripen on vines.Crickets sing to the night. Rabbits are everywhere. Thunder rumbles. But it’s chicory (Cichorium intybus) that really proclaims that the heat of summer is on.

Chicory is one of our most abundant midsummer flowers but sadly, it also carries the demeaning title of being classified as a weed. I guess that’s technically correct since it’s a non-native plant that grows profusely along many rural roadsides and other areas that have disturbed, well-drained soils that are bathed in full sunshine. However, their beautiful periwinkle blue flowers on spindly stalks make them an unmistakable sign of summer. It’s abundance in mid-August also reminds me summer is at its peak and the season will soon fade away.

Continue reading →

Roadside Wildflowers of July

Oakland County, MI Government 2 Comments

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

They are wild and free. They choose where to grow. They need no care from us, just a bit of respect to survive. Some are native species, others invasive or naturalized, but the wildflowers of our July roadsides share common traits. They thrive in disturbed soils and open areas and add colorful beauty to the road’s edge. They are the vanguard forces of nature trying to make things right!

IMG_3076

Butterfly Weed: The brilliant orange blossom of Butterfly Weed is unmistakable for appreciative humans, and nectar sipping butterflies. It’s next to impossible to hike in an uncut meadow or prairie without encountering the most stunning member of the milkweed family. The meadows and roadside of Highland State Recreation Area, and the roadside edge of Independence Oaks County Park-North are just two locations where they are now at peak bloom.

Continue reading →