Purple or Blue Flowers                

July-Aug

Common Name:  Purple Loosestrife                                 
Latin Name:  Lythrum salicaria                 
Family:  Lythraceae                         

This is one of the bad guys of the invasive world.  Although, the flower spike is really quite pretty.  Fireweed is commonly mistaken for purple loosestrife.   Purple loosestrife has not reached everywhere in the U.P.  So, if you see it . . . remove it!  It's a perennial.

July-Aug

Common Name:  Fireweed                                                    
Latin Name:  Epilobium angustifolium
Family: Onagraceae

Fireweed tends to be more pink than purple loosestrife and the flowers are not as tightly clustered in a spike.  Also, fireweed grows on more upland sites where loosestrife likes the wetland sites.

July-Aug-Sept

Common Name:  Aster                                                                     
Latin Name:  Aster spp.
Family:  Compositae

There are about 66 species of aster with numerous hybrids and  many of them are   similar-looking!  Some flowers can be reddish or white.  Flowers are usually several on a branched stem.  Leaf shapes and plant heights vary.

June-Oct

Common Name:  Spotted Knapweed                               
Latin Name:  Centaurea maculosa
Family:  Compositae

This is another nasty invasive exotic from Europe.  The genus has many similar species.  Knapweed can be easily confused with wild bergamot.  Spotted knapweed arrived in Michigan in the early 1900s and is usually found on dry sites.  Another perennial that is worthy of removal on sight.

July-Aug

Common Name:  Wild Bergamot, Bee-balm                                       
Latin Name:  Monarda fistulosa
Family: Labiatae

Flowers are similar to knapweeds and (maybe) thistles, but lack the deep "bowl" from which the flower grows out of.   The leaves are opposite each other on the stems. The plant part is greener looking, softer, and lacks the tough feel of knapweed or the prickles of thistles. 

June-Sept

Common Name:  Thistles                                                       
Latin Name:  Cirsium spp.
Family: Compositae

The tall form of thistles are familiar to most people.  In the U.P., there are about five species and we are more likely notice the giant bull, Canada, and European swamp thistle before some of the smaller species.   The seed heads contain clusters of wind-borne seeds, easily spreading thistle into new areas.  The prickles are usually very dense, sharp, and long.  European swamp thistle can reach heights of six feet!     

June-Aug

Common Name:  Milkweed                                                           
Latin Name:  Asclepias spp.
Family:  Asclepiadaceae

Most people will recognize milkweed by their large pods that release wind-borne seeds and their characteristically sticky, white sap.  Milkweeds are common in old fields and disturbed places, so we commonly see them growing where fields and right-of-ways come right up the roads. 

June-Sept

Common Name:  Alfalfa                                                         
Latin Name:  Medicago sativa
Family:  Leguminosae

Alfalfa has been widely cultivated for livestock forage and has escaped into the wild.  There are three species of Medicago, all of them exotic.   Alfalfa forms a fairly dense patch of vegetation sprinkled with flower heads of purple blooms.  Some petals may be white and there are yellow varieties across much of the state.

July-Sept

Common Name:  Self-heal                                 
Latin Name:  Prunella vulgaris
Family:  Labiatae

Self-heal is the only species in its genus and can be found around the world.  It is a member of the mint family, although lacks any characteristic minty flavor.  The small flowers are clustered into flowerheads that might be an inch or so long.  The plant appearance is variable and has a wide range of habitats.  The "side-of-the-road" habitat generally produces a short, creeping plant not seen unless you are walking along the side of the road and looking at plants.  It's also common in lawns and has learned to keep its head low enough to avoid the lawnmower blades.  Self-heal is an aggressive little plant that will spread rapidly. 

May-Aug

Common Name:  Red Clover                                 
Latin Name:  Trifolium pratense
Family:  Leguminosae

Originally from Europe and widely cultivated, red clover is now widespread across most the eastern United States.  It became familiar to most people when they were children.  The purple-pink-rarely white flower heads are large, about an inch across.  They are sweet to the taste.  The smaller-headed white clover is also an extremely common plant, also a native of Europe.   There are about ten species of Trifolium in Michigan, many of which are seeded into openings for whitetailed deer (as if they were rare or something!).

July-Aug

Common Name:  Bouncing Bet                           
Latin Name:  Saponaria officinalis
Family:  Caryophyllaceae

Although this pretty flower is common throughout the roadsides of the Upper Peninsula, it probably goes unnoticed most of the time.  It's also noted for its habit of commonly growing along railroad tracks.   It can form beds, one to three feet tall, that appear pinkish white in the sunshine.  The single flowers tend to form a loose cluster at the top of the plant.   Several leaves grow in whorls about the stem, but usually one pair of leaves are much larger than the others. 

July-Oct

Common Name:  Chicory                                                             
Latin Name:  Cichorium intybus
Family:  Compositae

Once this tall flower begins to bloom it can't be missed, even traveling at 55 miles per hour.  It's about the only blue flower that commonly grows along roads.  Blue flowers are rare anywhere, but at 1 to 1-1/2 inches across, these conspicuous baby blue blooms are hard to miss.  The green part of the plant is rather coarse and lacks any particularly outstanding feature other than a height of 3-4 feet.  The taproots have been used to make tea or flavor coffee.