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A photo blog of the Little Sewickley Creek Watershed that includes wildflowers, wild mushrooms, frogs, trees, and all the flora and fauna indigenous to the area. Little Sewickley Creek is a small stream about 13 miles downriver from Pittsburgh, Pa that flows through old growth forest until it eventually empties into the Ohio River.

I love this time of the year. The woods are so verdant and rich with vegetation that the entire forest has a heathly green glow. Many of the summer wildflowers are starting to appear as all the rain of late has kept our area "well watered."

Swamp Dewberry (Rubus Hispidus) - Swamp Dewberry is a native shrub from the Rose family that I find throughout the valley, typcially down on the floodplains of the stream.  Its white flowers are fairly distinctive with a clear separation b… — Swamp Dewberry (*Rubus Hispidus*) -
Swamp Dewberry is a native shrub from the Rose family that I find throughout the valley, typcially down on the floodplains of the stream. Its white flowers are fairly distinctive with a clear separation between all 5 petals with hair-like extensions protruding from the center.

Virginia Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum) - Viriginia Waterleaf is typically 1 or 2 feet tall with a dense cyme of white flowers a couple of inches across.  Cyme is a new word for me and literally means a flat topped flower cluster tha… — Virginia Waterleaf (*Hydrophyllum virginianum*) -
Viriginia Waterleaf is typically 1 or 2 feet tall with a dense cyme of white flowers a couple of inches across. Cyme is a new word for me and literally means a flat topped flower cluster that radiates from the center the branch tip. Virginia Waterleaf is pretty easy to recognize, but I don't typically see that much of it around.

Swamp Buttercup (Ranunculus septentrionalis) - Swamp Buttercups are one of the many Buttercups in our region and they all have very similar yellow flowers, it can be difficult identifying the different species correctly.  But I am fairly c… — Swamp Buttercup (*Ranunculus septentrionalis*) -
Swamp Buttercups are one of the many Buttercups in our region and they all have very similar yellow flowers, it can be difficult identifying the different species correctly. But I am fairly confident that these are in fact Swamp Buttercups and not another variety.

Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) Non Native - Dame's Rocket is an invasive species that displaces native plants and will hinder local wildflower populations, but it is very pretty and is common along the roads in and around Little Sewickley … — Dame's Rocket (*Hesperis matronalis*) Non Native -
Dame's Rocket is an invasive species that displaces native plants and will hinder local wildflower populations, but it is very pretty and is common along the roads in and around Little Sewickley Creek. Its blossoms are mostly white and purple, but some cross breeding does result in a mixed white/purple flower, as in my photograph.

Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum) Non Native - Even though Star of Bethlehem is a non native, the striking white flowers are especially beautiful.  The petals have a shiny, waxy look that gives them a silk-like appearance.  … — Star of Bethlehem (*Ornithogalum umbellatum*) Non Native -
Even though Star of Bethlehem is a non native, the striking white flowers are especially beautiful. The petals have a shiny, waxy look that gives them a silk-like appearance. Star of Bethlehem is also known as "sleepydick," whatever that means... haha.

Wild Morning Glory (Calystegia sepium) -Also known as Hedge Bindweed, Wild Morning Glory is a vine that produces large white blossoms that some say resemble bugles.  I personally rarely see it, except for one location near the headwaters of Lit… — Wild Morning Glory (*Calystegia sepium*) -
Also known as Hedge Bindweed, Wild Morning Glory is a vine that produces large white blossoms that some say resemble bugles. I personally rarely see it, except for one location near the headwaters of Little Sewickley Creek where it appears every year.

Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) - I'm starting to see less and less Wild Geranium in the woods as their season winds down.  But they are one of my favorite wildflowers and one of the very first I identified when I bought my camera to le… — Wild Geranium (*Geranium maculatum*) -
I'm starting to see less and less Wild Geranium in the woods as their season winds down. But they are one of my favorite wildflowers and one of the very first I identified when I bought my camera to learn about the flora and fauna in the woods.

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Natural Sewickley

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