Southern Wisconsin is a land of great contrast. The monochrome tones of winter - white, black, grey, and brown - give way to a riot of color in spring and summer. Roadsides which were covered with six-foot high snow banks are now covered in a nearly-infinite variety of wildflowers which seem to change almost daily.
The abundance of flowers in front of homes and on the roadsides makes even the most brief and trivial of errands a feast for the eye. The photos below are a sampling of some of the flowers I saw on a single, 30-minute drive from Madison back to my house. I didn't go anywhere special. These beauties are just everywhere, reminding us that summer is short but full of life.
Daylillies - these plants may have originally been escapees from someone's garden, but they now form huge masses of orange or yellow flowers along the roads at random intervals. Most of the time they are orange, but occasionally, there are yellow ones growing wild as well.
Queen Anne's Lace - Almost certainly an import from European settlers, where it was a popular herb for strewing on floors to sweeten the air and for producing a yellow dye, Queen Anne's Lace is also known as Wild Carrot. The fields teem with these delicate, nodding flower heads, some as large as saucers. They will soon be overrun with Goldenrod, another yellow dye plant. When I dye wool with Queen Anne's lace, the whole house fills with a lovely aroma - sort of a cross between yarrow and chamomile. Not every dye plant is as pleasantly fragrant.
Sumac - In summer, sumac bushes - many growing to six feet tall or more - grow conical, bright red blossom clusters which will later set fruit to become deep red berries. Sumac berries are tart, and they were a common addition to pemmican or were used to make a type of "lemonade" by the native peoples and, later, by the European settlers to this area. The blossom clusters are quite large and very dramatic against their deep green foliage. In fall, the foliage will turn bright red, orange, and burgundy.
Chamomile and Fleabane - Chamomile and its many relatives, including Fleabane and Feverfew, are among several of the daisy/composite type plants that have naturalized in this area Chamomile is familiar to many people as a relaxing tea.
White Clover and Vetch - These two plants were originally planted by farmers as food for cattle, but they now dot the landscape near fallow or abandoned fields, forming soft clouds of pink or white on hillsides and disturbed ground. Sometimes they will grow separately, but I found them growing happily together in an abandoned field.
Wild Phlox - There are several species of wild phlox in my area, in addition to the many garden varieties. In the spring, huge masses of wild pink and purple phlox grow along roadsides and in fields. By summer, the pink and purple phlox is gone, but the smaller, white variety blooms in smaller patches here and there.
Harebell - This flower is part of the Bellflower (Campanula) family. I spotted a single clump growing in the shade under a leaning maple tree.
Partridge Pea - This flower seems to love growing near sidewalks, where it cascades gracefully over the cement. It is very fragrant, and it reminds me of the Scotch Broom that grew on the roadsides of the mountain where I grew up. I put some in a small vase, and it scented the entire room for days.
Is it any wonder that I can go down almost any road in summer and say to myself, "I'm so lucky. I get to live here!"
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