WildflowersJenna Brown, Arnav Rajdev, Piper Rackley, Sarah Hardy

What is a wildflower?

- Grow freely

- No human intervention

- Uncultivated environment

Native vs. Introduced

- Evolved in the region: Native

- Live but don’t evolve: Introduced- Detrimental to ecosystem

Types of Wildflower

- Annual- bloom for about two months and die with the first hard frost. They are more common

in wide open spaces without trees. They are “self-sowing” because right before they die they drop their own seed, so when the next year comes around, a new one grows. Ex: Red Poppy

- Perennial- flowers that come back each year from the same root system. Rarely grow in

their first season. They usually bloom in their second growing season and this bloom only lasts a few weeks. Perennials have been known to live to return for decades, even centuries. Ex: common daisy

- Biennial- like perennials, they do not bloom their first growing season. But unlike

perennials, they only have two growing seasons. They have a two year life cycle, wherein the second year they bloom and seed a lot for a few weeks. Ex: Queen Anne’s Lace.

Photosynthesis

Primary Producers

Carbon Dioxide + Water→ (light) Sugars + Oxygen

Wildflower Parts

Reproduction

● Transfer Vectors.

● Pollination ○ Cross Pollination

● Fertilization

Flowers on Campus

- More plants near a water source

- Nutrient rich soil- Soil is more permeable

- Places close to a climax community

- Riverbank by the Carter field- Behind the Scout Hut- Behind the Denny field

Butterweed is a winter annual that can grow one to three feet tall. It belongs to the Packera glabella species. This flower prefers full to partial sunlight with moist conditions. It grows in clumps. It is the most common flower we found.

Butterweed

The Canada Violet is native to Georgia and part of the Viola canadensis species. This flower lives a perennial life and prefers to live in moist meadows with some shade, much like Carter field.

Dame's Rocket, or Hesperis matronalis, is a herbaceous plant introduced to Georgia from Europe. These flowers are usually biennials but some can be short perennials. Dame's Rocket blooms best in full sun and partial shade and requires moist soil with sufficient drainage.

The Swamp Dewberry is native to Georgia and is part of the species Rubus hispidus. Each flower is a 1/2 inch long with five white petals. They prefer little sunlight with wet and sandy soil. They are commonly found near a water source such as a river or creek.

This flower is not native to Georgia, but has been introduced. Deptford Pink is a part of the Dianthus armeria species and has a biennial life span which means it blooms every other year. The flower is commonly found growing in shady spots near rocks.

The Common Blue Violet, or the Viola sororia, is native to Georgia. It is a perennial plant and prefers partial sunlight or light shade with moist soil. As seen in this picture they are often found near water.

The Arrowleaf Violet is a wildflower native to Georgia. It belongs to the species Viola sagittata and has a perennial life, meaning it can live for several years. The blooming period comes in the very early summer to late spring and lasts for around three to four weeks. These flowers tend to grow in grassy fields with clay soil.

The Common Dandelion is a perennial plant native to Georgia. It belongs to the Taraxacum officinale species and is incredibly common, it is even considered a weed. They prefer full sunlight and since they have no poisonous look-alike, many people eat them on their salad.

Yellow Woodsorrel is native to Georgia and belongs to the species Oxalis stricta. It tends to grow in woodlands or meadows with partial sunlight. This plant is perennial, but some are also annual.

Yellow Woodsorrel

This flower is native to Georgia and belongs to the Triodanis perfoliata species. It is an annual plant that is unbranched and has no fragrance. The Venus-Looking Glass blooms during the early summer and lasts about a month. It has self pollinating flowers who prefer full sunlight and dry soil.

Ground Ivy is a European perennial plant that has been introduced to Georgia. This flower belongs to the species Glechoma hederacea. It has very shallow roots and stays close to the ground. This flower prefers to bloom in moist, shady places and is incredibly tasty on a salad.

Go Outside!

Now we are going to go outside to the Carter Field

We want you to pick a flower to identify when we come back in!

Identify Your Flower!

1. Go to this link: http://www.mywildflowers.com/identify.asp

2. Once you have an idea, check to make sure it is native/has been introduced to Georgia: http://plants.usda.gov/java/

Results

Our Conclusion

The Carter Field has the most diverse and highly populated number of wildflowers due to its location near the river and its relative undevelopedness.