Monthly Archives: December 2019

Tall beggarticks (Bidens vulgata)

tall beggarticks

Tall beggarticks (Bidens vulgata) is a common, widespread, native but often weedy wildflower. It is native to Europe and North America. It occurs across the United States but is most common in New England, the upper Midwest, and the Pacific Northwest. It is common in Minnesota. It grows in loamy or silty soil, under full sun to partial shade, in wet to moderately moist sites. It is found on the banks of rivers and streams; on the margins of lakes and ponds; in wet forests and meadows; and in ditches, railroads, roadsides, and other open disturbed sites. It is weedy in moist disturbed sites.

Tall beggarticks is a robust annual with an inconspicuous inflorescence. It is usually 12″ to 20″ tall but in favorable conditions it can reach 60″ or more in height. The leaves are divided onto 3 or 5 leaflets. At the base of each flower head there is a whorl of 10 to 21 modified leaves (bracts). The flower head has up to 150 yellow disk florets and either no ray florets or just 1 to 5 small yellow ray florets.

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Plants/tall_beggarticks.html

Armyworm moth (Mythimna unipuncta)

armyworm moth
Photo by Alfredo Colon

Armyworm moth (Mythimna unipuncta), also called true armyworm and the white speck. is a migratory wainscot moth. It is medium-sized for a moth, large for a wainscot moth. It occurs in Europe, northern Africa, Iceland, North America, Central America, and northern South America. It is common throughout the United States and Canada, common and sometimes abundant in Minnesota. It does not survive cold winters. Adults migrate south in the fall and a later generation disperses north in the spring. Adults are found in Minnesota from March to November. Caterpillars feed on leaves and sometimes seed heads of mostly grains and other grasses, but also many broadleaf plants close to their infestations. After defoliating a stand of plants, they will move as a group to a nearby stand and resume feeding. They are often a serious agricultural pest, especially on wheat and corn.

Armyworm moths are ¾″ to 1″ long. Their forewings are tan with dark peppering and a small but conspicuous white spot. The caterpillar is up to 2″ long.

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Insects/armyworm_moth.html

Mid-winter boreus (Boreus brumalis)

mid-winter boreus
Photo by Luciearl

There are fifteen species of snow scorpionflies (Family Boreidae) worldwide, thirteen species in North America, two in eastern United States including Minnesota. The two species in our state are both in the genus Boreus and are easily told apart by their color.

Mid-winter boreus (Boreus brumalis) is a small snow scorpionfly. It is common in the United States from Maine to Michigan, south to Tennessee, and in Canada in Nova Scotia and Ontario. There are isolated populations in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. They are found in deciduous woodlands that have moss on the ground. Larvae live in moss and prey on small insects and other animals found in the moss, and possibly also on the moss. Adults prey on small insects and other animals found hibernating under stones and moss. They are seen on the surface of the snow on winter days when the temperature is above freezing feeding on other winter insects.

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Insects/mid-winter_boreus.html

Lewis flax (Linum lewisii var. lewisii)

Lewis flax

Lewis flax (Linum lewisii var. lewisii) is an uncommon, non-native, prairie wildflower. It is native to western North America as far east as North Dakota. It is uncommon in Minnesota where it is considered adventive—it is not fully established and the populations in the state may not be self-sustaining. The first recorded observation in Minnesota was in 1959. It continues to spread as it is often included in seed mixes used on prairie restorations.

Lewis flax is semi-evergreen, with at least some foliage remaining green throughout the winter. Flowers are not produced until the third year or, if conditions are favorable, the end of the second year. Bright blue flowers appear from May to July. The petals open at sunrise and fall off by late afternoon.

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Plants/Lewis_flax.html

Dwarf raspberry (Rubus pubescens)

dwarf raspberry

Dwarf raspberry (Rubus pubescens) is a perennial, low-growing, non-woody subshrub. In the United States it occurs in the northern tier of states south to New Jersey, Colorado, and Oregon. In Minnesota it is common throughout most of the state but absent in the west-central, southwest, and south-central counties. It is found in moist to wet woodlands and meadows and in various wetlands including shrubby swamps, bogs, and fens.

Short, erect, leafy stems rise from a creeping runner that can be up to 80″ long. The 2 to 5 leaves are each divided into three leaflets. In mid-May to late June 1 to 4 small white flowers appear at the end of the stem. In early to mid-summer, each flower is replaced by a small, bright red to dark red fruit. The fruit is tasty but small, and it does not easily separate from its core.

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Plants/dwarf_raspberry.html