Wildflowers that we haven't seen for years are blooming this summer because the deer are fenced out. The hard work of designing and installing the deer fencing has paid off. The deer can no longer forage in the wildflower garden. This summer Solomon Seal (Polygonatum biflorum) and Carolina Lily (Lilium michauxii) have bloomed after years of being eaten down to stubs by deer.
One of the most colorful wildflowers is blooming now, Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis). This is a deer appetizer, but this year it is blooming. Cardinal Flower has a spike of intense red flowers. Each flower is a one to one and a half inch long tube with five petals arranged two above and three below. Most stalks are unbranched with one tall flower spike. The leaves are up to six inches long, alternate, lanceolate, and toothed. This plant grows two to four feet tall. It likes moist sites so it is happiest along streams and ponds. Bloom time is July through September. Hummingbirds are the main pollinators of Cardinal Flower because its long tubular flower is too deep for most insects. Cardinal Flower is one of our most attractive native wildflowers. You can see it blooming in the wildflower garden at the arboretum right now.
