A Plant Life Refresher

It occurred to me not long ago that for someone who calls himself a naturalist I am a bit lacking in my knowledge of plant life. I used to be, thanks to Boy Scouts and Mrs. Miller's Advanced Biology class in high school, pretty familiar with the trees and wildflowers of the region - or at least I could reliably identify a pretty wide range of species. Two things have come to light recently. One: I've forgotten a lot of what I knew, especially with regard to flowers. Two: I didn't have as "wide" a knowledge base as I thought

It's something I've been working on, especially because tree identity can be crucial information to a mycologist. Some mushrooms simply prefer to feast upon a specific tree or group of trees. It's also somewhat embarrasing to be so into nature and the out-of-doors only to scratch my head when someone says "hey, what the heck is that?" What does all of this mean to you, the reader of my blog? Pictures of plants that I have learned (in some cases relearned) to pick out in recent months, labeled with common and scientific names.

Common pawpaw (Asimina triloba)

Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

Lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina)

Jimsonweed (Datura strimonium)

Water pennywort (Hydrocotyle ranunculoides)

Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

There's not a ton of information above; this is more of a "look at the pretty pictures" post. These are a half-dozen plants that I will (fingers crossed) never again stare at in utter confusion; hopefully the same will be true for you!