Hiking Missouri - Tumblr Posts
Hop Trefoil Clover
Trifolium campestre
This species of trifolium is not native to the United States, its native range is in Europe and Western Asia, but it has now been introduced in some areas of the US due to being grown for fodder and escaping. However, it's not yet listed as an invasive species here.
June 17th, 2023
Weldon Spring, St. Charles County, Missouri, USA
Olivia R. Myers
@oliviarosaline
Violet Wood Sorrel
Oxalis violacea
This beautiful oxalis violacea with showy, soft violet blooms is a perennial species native to the eastern and central United States.
May 12th, 2023
Jefferson County, Missouri, USA
Olivia R. Myers
@oliviarosaline
Don't worry, bee happy.
This adorable bumblebee buzzed over and photobombed my flower picture.
Aug. 15th, 2023
St. Charles County, Missouri, USA
Olivia R. Myers
@oliviarosaline
Missouri Coneflower
Rudbeckia missouriensis
This species is endemic to the Ozarks of Missouri and Arkansas, where it usually grows in limestone and dolomite glades. There's also a few scattered populations in Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois, and Louisiana. It thrives in full sun and dry, well-drained soil.
Sept. 27th, 2023
De Soto, Jefferson County, Missouri, USA
Olivia R. Myers
@oliviarosaline
Wildflowers flourishing along a tranquil Ozarkian trail. It was a blessing to enjoy this beautiful place where the sun kissed spots of the blue forest floor and only the sound of bird songs and soft wind whispered through the trees. The blue-eyed mary (Collinsia verna) and virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) thriving on the forest floor are both native spring ephemerals found throughout the central and eastern parts of North America.
April 17th, 2023
Washington County, Missouri, USA
Olivia R. Myers
@oliviarosaline
Purple Cress
Cardamine douglassii
Also known as Limestone Cress, this species in the mustard family features clusters of light purple flowers in early spring and can be found in wet and swampy forests with calcium carbonate rich soils. It's native to parts of the eastern United States and southern Ontario, Canada.
The plants I photographed are part of an isolated population remaining in a tiny bottomland forest remnant in St. Charles County, Missouri. Unfortunately, the rest of the forest has been lost due to suburban sprawl and what little of it remains has many invasive species, including winter creeper, callery pear, and japanese honeysuckle trying to encroach from surrounding developments and outcompete native plants like this one.
March 12th & 13th, 2024
St. Charles County, Missouri, USA
Olivia R. Myers
@oliviarosaline
Mica Cap Mushrooms
Coprinellus sect. Micacei
Growing at the base of an old cottonwood tree in the woods.
April 3rd, 2024
St. Louis County, Missouri, USA
Olivia R. Myers
@oliviarosaline
Tall Thimbleweed
Anemone virginiana
This anemone is native to the United States and southern Canada, where its range extends primarily east of the Great Plains. Its common name originates from the cluster of pistils forming a thimble shape, and it can tolerate and grow in a variety of conditions. This particular plant was thriving in a partly sunny, moist area of the woods near a small creek.
June 22nd, 2023
St. Francois County, Missouri, USA
Olivia R. Myers
@oliviarosaline
Bird's Foot Violet
Viola pedata
Named after its leaves which resemble a bird's foot... This gorgeous violet is native to a large portion of eastern North America and thrives in sandy areas, rocky slopes, and other sunny, very well-drained habitats that are undisturbed. Three different color varieties can be found in the wild; bicolor (pictured above), lilac, and white. I have found both the bicolor and solid lilac varieties in abundance within glades and some prairies here in Missouri. Additionally, this species hosts fritillary butterfly larvae and provides nectar to many other butterflies and bees.
April 18th, 2024
St. Francois County, Missouri, USA
Olivia R. Myers
@oliviarosaline
Fire Pink
Silene virginica
A perennial catchfly native to central and eastern North America. The bright, fiery red flowers attract ruby-throated hummingbirds to pollinate them, and sticky sepals and stems on the plant act as a trap for small insects trying to climb up it, hence the name "catchfly" for plants in this genus. It prefers somewhat dry soils and part-sun, so it can be found on rocky slopes in open woodlands, savannas, and other similar habitats.
I found this fire pink growing in open, rocky woods near blackjack oaks and other drought-tolerant species.
April 18th, 2024
St. Francois County, Missouri, USA
Olivia R. Myers
@oliviarosaline
Wood Wakerobin
Trillium viride
Endemic to east-central Missouri and south-west Illinois, this trillium species can be found growing in woods with rich soils and on rocky slopes. It blooms in mid to late spring and there are lookalike trilliums; however, T. viride has a characteristic unique only to it - tiny, yet visible stomata that look like white dots all over the top of its leaves.
April 17th, 2024
St. Louis County, Missouri, USA
Olivia R. Myers
@oliviarosaline