Wednesday, August 13, 2008

5. Daisy Fleabane


I did not know the name of this wildflower--another from the aster family. Erigeron annus can be distinguished from Common Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus) because the leaves of the Daisy Fleabane do not wrap around the stem of the plant (the botanical term is "clasping"), whereas the leaves of the Common Fleabane do. The name fleabane hails from the days when the smoke from the burning of this plant was thought to keep fleas and other insects at bay. The flowers of Common Fleabane close at night, but I could not confirm (without running across the street in my pjs and getting eaten alive by repellent-resistant mosquitos) if Daisy Fleabane does so as well.

2 comments:

Onoclea sensibilis said...

You are truly dedicated to your list. I think it deserves the jammie-run and risk of more bites.

I went out for 10 minutes and got two matching mosquito bites on each elbow. I just hope the pictures I managed to get today will hold me off for a while because I'm going to have the take the rest with a telephoto lens through my glass doors, or my car windshield.

Christina said...

Due to the fact that my children are in the habit of leaving the front door wide open when the come in for something while they are playing outside, we now have many mosquitoes inside the house. I'm going to turn into one big mosquito bite. Eeew (I'm quoting you, OS), sounds like an X-File. I may have to go pull up that mullein plant and eat, drink, or smoke it for its miraculous healing power.