Sunday, June 03, 2007

Weeds in the backyard....or Frontyard

Megan and I rent a house, and that means that we pretty much mow the yard but don't care if the yard is made up of grass, sedges, mints, clover, violets, or any other type of plant. Two common weeds in our yard this spring were Indian Strawberry and Creeping Buttercup.

Creeping Buttercup, Ranunculus repens, is quite an attractive plant. Although considered a non-native invasive here in Ohio, it does sport a plethora of intense yellow blossoms. The leaves, palmate and speckled, are also quite appealing to the eye. I don't believe this plant is threat
to natural areas in Ohio at this time, but it does seem to spread quickly. Last year, I don't remember seeing it, and this year, we have copious clumps in the back of our yard. I kept it since it was bar far the most showy plant we had this spring. Right now, the flowers have wilted away, but the leaves are still attractive. The ant crawling around in this flower caught my eye, and I decided the scene was Canon-worthy.

 


Next up, we have the fruit of Indian Strawberry, Duchesnea indica. Not actually a Fragaria, the true strawberry, this fruit nonetheless does look exactly like a strawberry. That is until you look at it closely, especially through the eyes of a macro lens. As you can see, this trawberry looks rather "seedy," lacking any of that succulent flesh you might find on a California grown berry. This plant is a common lawn weed, and it is profuse in our front yard. It has yellow flowers, while native Fragaria blooms are white.

 
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