I could use a pick-me-up, so comment your favorite native fun fact. (Or as many as you’d like) Plus here’s a couple of Wildflower pics to hopefully brighten your day.
None of these flowers are mine btw. Pretty sure they’re all naturally sewn seeds… With the exception of the Ironweed field. I think my mom said those were planted there.
Fit_Zucchini8695
I don’t know that they’re fun facts, but I love showing people the hidden worlds of native plants. Showing them how cup plants hold water for wildlife or where the blooms on wild ginger occur or having them squeeze a jewelweed seed pod for the first time bring so much joy to them and me.
Puzzleheaded-Arm8249
Thank you for posting these pics! The world is a rough place right now, and your photos remind me of the beauty and miracle of nature. Thank you and I wish you all the best. 🌻
Comfortable-Wolf654
My favorite local fact is that Wisconsin has a native cactus! A prickly pear (opuntia spp.) not going to say the full Latin because there’s some controversy over it
warfield008
I just recently learned hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards, which I thought was neat. I love seeing them aggressively pollinate. Thanks for the awesome pics. Hang in there!
LRonHoward
Some of these are pretty well known, but they’re still my favorites:
* Multiple species of spring ephemerals are primarily spread by ants! The plants’ seeds have a little fleshy structure attached to the seeds (called an elaiosome) that attracts ants. The ants collect the seeds, eat the elaiosomes, and discard the seeds in the “waste” area of their nest where the seeds will germinate and grow!
* There are species known as hyperparasitoids! – parasitoids of other parasitoids! There are also instances of multiple levels of parasitic fungi… The ecosystem is crazy. [For example:](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperparasite#Examples)
>>> *A well-studied case is that of the small white butterfly (Pieris rapae), a serious horticultural pest of Brassica species such as cabbage and Brussels sprouts. Its larvae are parasitized by the larvae of the wasps Cotesia glomerata and C. rubecula, both of which are in turn parasitized by the wasp Lysibia nana.*
* Certain plants – like Bottle Gentian (*Gentiana andrewsii*) – have flower structures that only allow certain pollinators (large bees in this case) to open them. However, some bees have learned that you can cut a hole at the base of the flower and “rob” the plant of nectar without pollinating it! Those tricky little bastards!
Edit: Oh I forgot this one:
* Some prairie plant species like Lead Plant (*Amorpha canescens*) can live for hundreds of years (it doesn’t really seem like people actually know how long a single plant can live). [Per MN Wildflowers](https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/shrub/lead-plant): “According to one of my field guides, Lead Plant can live for centuries and not grow larger than 3 feet tall.” I’ve also heard that Compass Plant (*Silphium laciniatum*) can live upwards of 100 years! I only ever thought trees could live that long!
The_Hippo
My favorite fact is that plants and other organisms don’t give a damn about humans and will go on after we are gone. When we’ve ruined this earth and we go extinct, even with extreme climate change, there will be plants that survive and can/will adapt. The great filter of natural selection and evolution will select for plants to be evermore drought resilient and cold/heat tolerant. Same with animals like insects, mammals, etc… We might be in the midst of a mass extinction caused by humans, but at the end of our species, there will still be life that goes on and will eventually flourish.
Humans are just a fraction of a grain of sand on the geologic time scale.
Realistic-Reception5
Not sure this counts as a fact but I noticed that my narrow leaf blue eyed grass managed to keep some green to it through the winter and I had no idea
juliancasablacnas
Wild violets (viola sororia at least) has 2 different types of flowers on the same plant. First is the iconic 5-petaled purple flower we all know. The other is a CLOSED flower that never opens, and self-pollinates itself in case the first one fails. 🤯
Why don’t all flowers make a foolproof magic backup flower? That’s crazy
10 Comments
None of these flowers are mine btw. Pretty sure they’re all naturally sewn seeds… With the exception of the Ironweed field. I think my mom said those were planted there.
I don’t know that they’re fun facts, but I love showing people the hidden worlds of native plants. Showing them how cup plants hold water for wildlife or where the blooms on wild ginger occur or having them squeeze a jewelweed seed pod for the first time bring so much joy to them and me.
Thank you for posting these pics! The world is a rough place right now, and your photos remind me of the beauty and miracle of nature. Thank you and I wish you all the best. 🌻
My favorite local fact is that Wisconsin has a native cactus! A prickly pear (opuntia spp.) not going to say the full Latin because there’s some controversy over it
I just recently learned hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards, which I thought was neat. I love seeing them aggressively pollinate. Thanks for the awesome pics. Hang in there!
Some of these are pretty well known, but they’re still my favorites:
* Multiple species of spring ephemerals are primarily spread by ants! The plants’ seeds have a little fleshy structure attached to the seeds (called an elaiosome) that attracts ants. The ants collect the seeds, eat the elaiosomes, and discard the seeds in the “waste” area of their nest where the seeds will germinate and grow!
* There are species known as hyperparasitoids! – parasitoids of other parasitoids! There are also instances of multiple levels of parasitic fungi… The ecosystem is crazy. [For example:](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperparasite#Examples)
>>> *A well-studied case is that of the small white butterfly (Pieris rapae), a serious horticultural pest of Brassica species such as cabbage and Brussels sprouts. Its larvae are parasitized by the larvae of the wasps Cotesia glomerata and C. rubecula, both of which are in turn parasitized by the wasp Lysibia nana.*
* Certain plants – like Bottle Gentian (*Gentiana andrewsii*) – have flower structures that only allow certain pollinators (large bees in this case) to open them. However, some bees have learned that you can cut a hole at the base of the flower and “rob” the plant of nectar without pollinating it! Those tricky little bastards!
Edit: Oh I forgot this one:
* Some prairie plant species like Lead Plant (*Amorpha canescens*) can live for hundreds of years (it doesn’t really seem like people actually know how long a single plant can live). [Per MN Wildflowers](https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/shrub/lead-plant): “According to one of my field guides, Lead Plant can live for centuries and not grow larger than 3 feet tall.” I’ve also heard that Compass Plant (*Silphium laciniatum*) can live upwards of 100 years! I only ever thought trees could live that long!
My favorite fact is that plants and other organisms don’t give a damn about humans and will go on after we are gone. When we’ve ruined this earth and we go extinct, even with extreme climate change, there will be plants that survive and can/will adapt. The great filter of natural selection and evolution will select for plants to be evermore drought resilient and cold/heat tolerant. Same with animals like insects, mammals, etc… We might be in the midst of a mass extinction caused by humans, but at the end of our species, there will still be life that goes on and will eventually flourish.
Humans are just a fraction of a grain of sand on the geologic time scale.
Not sure this counts as a fact but I noticed that my narrow leaf blue eyed grass managed to keep some green to it through the winter and I had no idea
Wild violets (viola sororia at least) has 2 different types of flowers on the same plant. First is the iconic 5-petaled purple flower we all know. The other is a CLOSED flower that never opens, and self-pollinates itself in case the first one fails. 🤯
Why don’t all flowers make a foolproof magic backup flower? That’s crazy
https://preview.redd.it/03jji20c63fe1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=51546f91137126c220c3aa5fec5a303b1aeb2620
Bro I’m soo excited for Spring. So many plants to get in the ground and easily twice as many blooms as last summer!
I really like the late summer blooms like Douglas aster, Canada goldenrod, pearly everlasting, western yarrow.
I’ve seen a noticeable increase over the last few years.