Pink

In addition to yellow and white, pink and purple are common colors for local wildflowers. Pink and purple are somewhat similar and could be grouped in one post, but that would be too long. So, today I’ll review the pink flowers we’ve seen in June; expect a post with the more purplish flowers soon.

Smooth Wild Rose (Rosa blanda)

When seeing this flower I assumed it was the Prairie Rose (which I am familiar with as the state flower of North Dakota). However, the “Picture This” app identifies these common roadside roses as the Smooth Wild Rose. The two are similar, but the Minnesota Wildflower webpage cites the lack of prickles on new stems as the distinguishing characteristic.

Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)

The Wild Geranium is an attractive plant found commonly in shadier areas along the roadside. It blooms for only a short time in June.

Being familiar only with the geraniums offered by nurseries, I was surprised to learn of this common native related species. This wild geranium can be cultivated for use as an ornamental plant.

Philadelphia Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus)

Given the name of this plant, I was expecting to learn of interesting links to Philadelphia and stories on how it may be effectively used to repel fleas. Unfortunately , there actually is no evidence that it is effective as a insect repellent, and I found no reason for it being named after Philadelphia.

It is native to North America, and is an invasive species in Europe and Asia.

Here in Minnesota it has light pink to nearly while flowers and has a gangly, weedy form. It is a common roadside plant that has been in bloom since mid-June.