Ironweed and Cardinal Flower

Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata) and cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) are both in bloom in one of the lower fields now.

Both plants are native wildflowers and thrive in wet soils. They are examples of the kind of habitat we are aiming to encourage on the farm. They also both like wet soils, so they serve as a good indicator that this particular field might classify as wet-mesic. This is good information to have for when we finally get around to pressing the restart button on some of these fescue fields