October is the beginning of the end of the wildflower season here in Ohio.  Those bright blooms of September are gradually fading to brown, which is becoming the predominant color of vegetation in the fields and woods.  It was a brief and glorious late colorful season, though there are still blooms to see- it’s not winter yet!

Asters are the predominant blooms now.

Goldenrod is plentiful, but much of it is browning- last month’s yellow fields are turning to gold and tan.

Queen Anne’s Lace is mostly brown, but some blooms remain.

Chicory is not done yet!

Evening Primrose is going to seed, but its cheerful yellow blooms still peek out here and there.

Lady’s Thumb can still be found blooming in patches.

Thoroughwort is still hanging in there.  I think of this wildflower as ‘white Ironweed’, it reminds me so much of that popular late summer bloom.

Snakeroot is more likely to have fuzzy seeds than blooms now.

Three-Lobed Coneflower

Black-Eyed Susan

Helianthus

Horseweed

Obedient Plant (notice some of it is seeding)

Great Lobelia

Fleabane can still be found here and there, though it’s easy to mistake it for Asters this season

Tickseed Sunflower

The lawn plants are less numerous than they were in the summer:

Dandelion

White Clover

Red Clover

Common Plantain

English Plantain

Wood Sorrel

In wetter areas:

Cattails are seeding

In wooded areas:

I’ve seen 2 or 3 different kinds of Nettles.

Here’s some pretty uncommon blooms spotted recently:

Quickweed

Garden Phlox

Wingstem

Ox Eye Daisy

Green Headed Coneflower

White Sweetclover

Self-Heal

Yarrow

Pepperweed

And, since I mentioned it earlier:

Ironweed is brown and fuzzy- most plants are heading in this direction soon!