August 31, 2025: Late Summer Flowers

Last week I mentioned late summer wildflowers; they may not be as showy as spring trilliums and lady's slippers, but they are more plentiful, easier to find, and tend to bloom for a longer period.  A favorite of mine, and one that often grows near water, is the Turtlehead.

Turtlehead, a relative of snapdragons

While looking at them this week I thought they resembled snapdragons, and sure enough, both plants are in the Plantaginaceae family.  Snapdragons are native to the Mediterranean and cultivated as annuals in New England, while turtleheads are hardy perennials native to New Hampshire.  Look for them near shorelines and other wetland areas.

Next up are a couple of blue/purple flowers.  From a distance this Purple False-foxglove looked like it might be Purple Loosestrife, but it's not.

Purple False-Foxglove

This native flower is not closely related to the cultivated foxglove which comes from Europe; they share a common name because their flowers are similar in shape.

I found the next flower growing right along a roadside:

Common Bellflower

The Common Bellflower is native to Europe, and though not classified as invasive in New Hampshire, it needs to be managed carefully as it spreads aggressively, often escaping from gardens as the ones I saw beside the road had done.

Queen Anne's Lace must be a drought-resistant plant as it really is having a good year.  

Fresh blooms continue to emerge even with the lack of rain.

Queen Anne's Lace putting out a new flower.

Flowers aren't the only thing catching my eye in late August.  Dragonflies are still buzzing around wildflower fields as well as shorelines.

Clubtail dragonfly

A pair of Slaty Skimmers mating.  

Note how the female (behind) is grasping the male's tail.

But there's no denying that summer is waning fast.  The lake temperature took a tumble this week with cool nights followed by shorter days which provide less energy to warm it back up.  

Fog wells up from the lake on a chilly August morning.

And this sight is hard to ignore:

The first maples start to turn.

But fear not, September will bring plenty of great weather for outdoor activities.  

Happy Labor Day!