That's Invasive? European Bellflower ~ Campanula rapunculoides

Other Common Names: Creeping Bellflower, Rampion Bellflower

Native to: Eurasia, introduced as a garden ornamental

Best Method of Removal: Dig Out Plant & Taproots

Interim Measures: Remove flower stalks to prevent seed production until you can dig plants out

Native Alternatives: Campanula americana (Tall Bellflower), Campanula rotundifolia (Harebell)

As this first photo shows, European Bellflower has attractive blue-violet, 5 petaled bell shaped flowers that alternate up the 3 - 4 foot flower stalk. The leaves are serrated and very look very similar to violet leaves with a broad base narrowing to a tip.

I have seen extensive patches of this plant in the Twin Cities metro area, in small South Minneapolis lots in full sun and growing in part shade in suburban park woodlands.

This is one tough plant to eradicate. It took me three years to remove most patches of this perennial plant from our yard. The main difficulty is that it has extensive (deep) tap roots that are easily missed when you attempt to dig or pull this plant out.

Depending on the age of the plant, the tap root varies in depth. Many of the plants I dug in my yard had tap roots that were 18 inches below the soil surface. From these taproots were tiny strands that snaked their way to the soil surface. From these strands a clump of leaves arises, and from this clump the plant sends up the flower stalks in late June to early July.

If you attempt to apply a herbicide like RoundUp® on this plant, it is relatively ineffective because it may kill off the leaves on the surface but the reserves that remain in the taproot will allow the plant to send up new clumps of leaves.

I have smothered some clumps in my yard with some success. I applied a thick layer of paper and 4 to 5 inches of mulch. This does not eradicate the taproot, the foliage will disappear for several years until the paper and mulch break down. The taproot then sends up more strands to reestablish leaf clumps on the soil surface. These leaf clumps are often very small, distorted and weakened. If you continue to smother or pull these clumps, the tap root will eventually die off after depleting its reserves, just keep in mind this is a long term process.

If you find this plant for sale at  your local nursery, be sure to inform the manager that it is invasive and they should not continue to offer it for sale!

Link to Invasive Plant Atlas Distribution Map
Link to USDA Plant Database Distribution Map

Caterpillars and Their Look Alikes

We have a couple of new insects in their larval stages in the yard this week. Both look like caterpillars (larvae of butterflies and moths) but one type is actually sawfly larvae.

This brightly colored one is a Brown Bordered Owlet Moth caterpillar (Cucullia convexipennis). We spotted several of these of various sizes and lengths on our Zig Zag Goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis).

According to Jim Sogaard in his book Moths & Caterpillars of the North Woods, the caterpillar feeds on plants in the Aster family, prefering the flowers over the leaves and the pupa then overwinters underground.The adult moth is a non descript light brown color about 1.5 inches in length.

Here is a close up of the side of the Brown Bordered Owlet Moth caterpillar.

The caterpillar look alike is the Dogwood Sawfly larvae (Macremphytus tarsatus).
The are often found in clusters on the underside of dogwood leaves curled up.

This larvae changes in appearance during its instar (larval) stages, looking whitish with a powdery coating to a bright yellow with dark markings (Penn State Fact Sheet).

The leaf damage on our dogwoods (mainly the red twigged dogwood) is on all of the new growth. These larvae have completely defoliated the top quarter of the plant leaving only the leaf mid rib and petiole.

According to the fact sheet cited above, the damage rarely kills the plant because the feeding is late in the season.

Like the caterpillars above, these larvae overwinter on the ground in rotting wood.

We have begun to see warblers and vireos this week in our yard, stopping over on their way south. I'm sure these sawflies will be pretty tasty and nourishing for their long flight ahead.

Native Plant of the Week: Maximilian Sunflower ~ Helianthus maximiliani

Maximilian Sunflower is flowering earlier than usual in our yard this year (along with many other species). It is a tall 4 - 8 foot perennial forb with bright yellow flowers arranged on short alternating stems arising from the leaf axils.

Its usual flowering time in Minnesota is September through October. I have seen it flowering into late October producing seeds into early winter that are sought out by birds, especially goldfinches and chickadees.

It also provides a nice amount of nectar for butterflies who are preparing for their southerly migration.

It is native throughout much of North American except for the Canadian maritime provinces and northern territories. It prefers a medium to heavy soil that is moderately moist.

It is palatable and readily eaten by all classes of livestock but decreases in vigor in heavily grazed ranges.(Native Grasses Legumes and Forbs, Phillips Petroleum Company, 1961)

In Gray's Synoptical Flora of North America (1895), Asa Gray writes that is was common in the southern half of Minnesota reaching eastward to Minneapolis where it was plentiful. Also abundant in the Red River valley extending northwest to the Saskatchewan river. Link to Source

More information about growing Maximilan Sunflower in the USDA Plant Guide.

Emerging Monarch

Related Posts: Monarchs in all Forms, The Monarchs are Back

I have been checking on the Monarch chrysalis hanging from the top of our window sill to see when the chrysalis would start to turn darker in color.

The chrysalis has been there for over a week so I knew it would be any time.

It was breezy and cool yesterday after overnight rain and a cold front moving in. Not the most ideal time for the monarch to emerge.

Yesterday morning the chrysalis turned dark in color, with the orange wings showing through. I took this photo around 10:30 in the morning and went back inside.

Checking on it at 12 pm and the Monarch had already emerged. (I read later that they typically emerge before noon to allow enough warmth and daylight hours for their wings to dry.)


So unfortunately, I missed it pushing its way out the bottom of the chrysalis. When I returned the butterfly was clinging to the chrysalis shell drying its wings.

By 1:30 pm it had already flown away. Later in the afternoon we had several adult butterflies in the yard, most of which looked newly emerged and untattered.

Maybe next year I'll get some photos of the whole sequence.

Discoveries Out & About: Campanula rotundifolia, Sibbaldiopsis tridentata & Solidago simplex var. ontarioensis

I have grouped these three plants together because they were growing in rock crevices alongside each other. We found them while hiking on the tip of the Keweenaw Penninsula (Lake Superior, Upper Michigan). This was a wind swept site with glacier scraped rocks. This area also gets legendary snow loads.

Harebell ~ Campanula rotundifolia

Harebell was thriving in the small openings in the rocks. It seemed in its element in these tight spaces with little soil.

Harebell is a really nice native growing not much more than 12 inches in height, flowering in early summer with bright blue cup like flowers. This photo was taken on July 1st in Upper Michigan.

We have Harebell growing in our yard by our rock retaining wall in similar crevices.

This photo is a close up of the first photo above of the shoreline, and if you look closely you will see the harebell sticking up out of the top of the rock. 

Three Toothed Cinquefoil ~ 

Sibbaldiopsis tridentata (Potentilla tridentata)

This a really attractive native plant and I have only seen it growing in Upper Michigan here and at Porcupine Mountains State Park. It is listed as endangered in several states. More information.

Ontario Goldenrod ~ 

Solidago simplex var. ontarioensis

Another plant growing here was Ontario Goldenrod with its bright yellow flowers and shiny green leaves. It is only native to Ontario and lower and upper Michigan.

Monarchs in all Forms

Related Post: The Monarchs are Back

For the last two weeks, we've had the Monarch Butterfly in three different forms in our yard.

There are several adult butterflies that are ecstatic about the Liatris ligulistylis ~ Meadow Blazingstar flowering. It is by far their favorite plant to nectar upon. We have counted up to 18 Monarchs at one time nectaring on this Blazingstar.

My husband jokes that he has to fight his way up our walkway through the monarchs this time of year. They also like the Eupatorium purpurem ~ Joe Pye Weed for nectaring.

We have seen several monarch caterpillars throughout the summer on our various Asclepias ~ Milkweed species. By far, most are found on the Swamp Milkweed ~ Asclepias incarnata.

We used to have a significant amount of Swamp Milkweed but due to the drought in the previous 5 years, the only plants that remain are in our raingarden by the driveway.

Considering how many caterpillars we find in the yard, we rarely see the chrysalises. I spotted the first one last week hanging from the top sill of our bathroom window. This is on the north side of our house, the same place where we found a chrysalis last year on the siding.

I find the gold coloring on the green chrysalis amazing. How on earth does a caterpillar manage to create a cocoon like that?

The origin of the word chrysalis is from Greek khrusallis, from khrusos 'gold' because of the gold or metallic coloring in many butterfly chrysalises.

Native Plant of the Week: Partridge Pea ~ Chamaecrista fasciculata (Cassia)

Other Common Names: Showy Partridgepea, Sensitive Pea

This annual legume is a great native for sunny, dry locations. We planted Partridge Pea a couple of years ago and it reseeds a few plants each year.

The yellow flowers bloom out of the leaf axils on a short stem. The flower has yellow as well as bright red anthers which make it even more showy.

The leaves are a compound leaf with 8-15 leaflet pairs. The foliage resembles that of a Mimosa species.

Partridge Pea flowers from mid July through September. It can reach 30 inches in height.

This plant was favored by early ranchers for its livestock palatability and soil improvement qualities (nitrogen fixation). It disappeared from heavily grazed ranges but found itself a niche in old fields or disturbed areas in sandy soil.

The seed is produced in long pods and once dry the pods explode and shoot the seed several feet from the parent plant.

Partridge Pea and other Chamaecrista species are major foodplants (larval hosts) for several Sulphur and Yellow Butterflies.

This photo is of Eurema lisa ~ Little Yellow Butterfly laying eggs on Chamaecrista hebecarpa ~ Wild Senna.

Partridge Pea is native to the US from the Dakotas south to Texas and eastwards.

Seed is available from Prairie Moon Nursery.

Local Native Vines

Related Post: Native Vines in our Yard

As a follow up to my posting about the native vines in our yard, there are a few other native vines that are common locally in Central Minnesota worth discussing.

The first one is the Wild Cucumber Vine ~ Echinocystis lobata. I most often see Cucumber Vine growing along the margins of wetlands or low lying areas that are moist in full to part sun. This annual vine can grow around 20 feet in length in one season, often scrambling over shrubs and tall forbs in a somewhat horizontal fashion.

The flowers are star-like (6 petaled) and white arranged in vertical spikes along the vine stem. The leaves are palmate in shape. This vine has very long tight corkscrew (telephone cord like) tendrils enabling it to easily latch onto other plants for support.

Image R.A. Howard @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

Cucumber Vine flowers from July through September. The spikey green bladder fruit develops in August and hangs below the vine.

Here is Cucumber Vine growing alongside a stream at Forestville State Park in Southern Minnesota (white flowers in foreground).

Cucumber Vine seed is available for sale from Prairie Moon Nursery.

The other vine which I just recently discovered locally is Ground Nut ~ Apios americana. Other common names include Indian Potato, Wild Bean, American Wild Potato, Hopniss and Dakota Peas (and many more).

This perennial twining vine has alternate leaves composed of 5-9 leaflets. The flowers can be light pink to a dark maroon in color resembling an irregular pea flower.

The seeds are pea like in long slender pods. As the common name suggests, the rhizomes of this plant were extensively eaten by Native Americans who introduced the plant to early European settlers. (USDA Plant Guide for Ground Nut)

According to Fernald & Kinsey in Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North America this plant was introduced in Europe in 1845 "as a possible substitute for the potato, which was becoming subject to diseases". This was soon abandoned because the "plant proved to be an impracticable crop".

Discoveries Out & About: Asclepias verticillata

Asclepias verticillata ~ Whorled Milkweed
One plant that has done extremely well is the whorled milkweed at my local park. It has been flowering since late June in the short grass prairie remnant at Purgatory Park. 


Talking to City of Minnetonka Natural Resources staff this week while volunteering, I learned that this is the only place in the municipality where whorled milkweed grows. The staff are very excited with the results of their ongoing restoration work at this site and throughout the Park.

Whorled milkweed is a narrow leaved milkweed. The leaves are arranged in whorls on the stem as the common name implies but can become loosely whorled to alternate at times. 


The flowers are typical milkweed flowers, white in color, opening upwards along the stem. This milkweed is a favorite of wasp species for nectaring. When walking through the large swath on the remnant it is teeming with insect activity.

This particular patch of whorled milkweed is growing alongside Black Eyed Susans, Stiff Goldenrod, Little Bluestem, Anise Hyssop, Evening Primrose and Thimbleweed.

Be sure to look for Monarch Caterpillars and Milkweed Leaf Beetles on this plant.

Native Plant of the Week: Spotted Bee Balm ~ Monarda punctata

Other Common Names: Dotted Horse Mint

This plant is classified as an annual, biennial and perennial according to the USDA Plant Database. In my own yard, it does reseed and I have new plants coming up around the parent plant which so far has been perennial for the last 3 years.

This native plant prefers medium to dry, well drained soils in a sunny location. It is related to the Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) but quite unlike the Bergamot in appearance. It does extremely well on our sunny gravel slope. The flowers are quite unique, flowering from the bottom upwards on the flower stem in whorled layers.

The whorled leaves below the flowers are white to pink in color and the flowers are an interesting light yellow speckled with rusty red. The plant for me resembles a pineapple with its upward pointing leaves at the growth tip.

A large clump of this native stands out amongst prairie forbs and grasses with its light colored leaves. In the evening and under moonlight it glows. Spotted Bee Balm flowers from mid July through September.

The great black wasp and other wasp species seem to prefer this plant in our yard over any other plant. There will be several nectaring on the flowers throughout the day. The pollen collects on the backs of the wasps as illustrated in the photos and helps in the pollination of the flowers as the stigma hangs out near the tip of the upper petal of the flower.

Spotted Bee Balm is native to south and eastern North America. Link to USDA map.

More information on the historical uses and propagating Monarda punctata on the USDA Plant Database information sheet.

Discoveries Out & About: Comandra umbellata

False, Star or Bastard Toadflax ~ Comandra umbellata 

I discovered this plant a couple of years ago at my local park walking the dog. It grows at the edge of a short grass prairie remnant in what looks to be a formerly disturbed area under Staghorn Sumacs. The soil there is a well drained sandy loam.

It flowers in late May/early June in central Minnesota and it is a very easy plant to miss because it rarely gets taller than 10" (in this location). According to Newcomb's Wildflower Guide, it can reach 15" in height.

This plant is hemiparasitic meaning it gets some of its nutrients from the roots of surrounding plants. Prairie Moon Nursery sells the seed but their catalog specifies that a host plant is needed for germination.

The nuts (seeds) of this plant were reportedly consumed by Native Americans, "ripe nuts are sweet and oily, a delicious nibble, but rarely in sufficient quantity for a more than a pleasant tid-bit". (Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North America by Fernald, Kinsey et al)

If you have seen this native plant, what did you find it growing in association with?

Native Plant of the Week: Gray Headed Coneflower ~ Ratibida pinnata

Other common names: Prairie Coneflower, Yellow Coneflower, Mexican Hat

As the common name suggests, this prairie plant resembles a coneflower (Echinacea species) in appearance with the conelike center and downward hanging petals. It is a great plant for any sunny location with medium to dry soil. It can reach about 5 feet in height and makes a nice companion to any prairie grass like Little Bluestem.

The cones are gray when the petals emerge, then as the plant flowers upwards on the cone, the cone turns brown. It is sought out by many types of bees and wasps, the bees like to make several circles around the cone collecting the pollen. It also attracts many butterfly species. Later in the season gold finches will peck at the cones for seed.

This plant seems to be a good survivor in areas that were formerly prairies. I have seen it growing throughout much of west central and southern Minnesota along roadsides and the edges of farmland. It is quite noticeable even at highway speeds because of its height and bright yellow flower color.

Another species in this Genus is the Long Headed Coneflower (Ratibida columnifera) which has a much longer cone and is shorter in height.

A large patch of Gray Headed Coneflower in a prairie is a wonderful site to see with the petals waving in the wind.