How many plants can I find in one day?

I went out Saturday afternon with the idea that I would try something new, and find as many species as possible within a single afternoon. I started photographing at the Meadows in Lexington, and finished at Great Meadows in Concord. They're sorted by time, ranging from 15:35 to 19:17.

It was decidedly a learning experience. Most surprisingly, many of the identifications I'd made with confidence in the field were partly or entierly wrong. In the final count, I got a total of 58, with 40 of the common names guessed near-enough.

005

Chicory (Cichorum intybus)

008

Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

I found one that was in flower later in the day; I wonder if I would have gotten another species by taking a closer look.

010

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

011

Common Cinquefoil (Potentilla simplex)

012

Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)

I thought it was "purple" but close enough.

013

Night-flowering Catchfly (Silene noctiflora)

I didn't count the styles, so I'm not sure of that one. I also guessed wrong.

015

Common Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia)

016

Rabbit's foot clover (Trifolium artense)

017

Common Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)

I missed the common name on this one; Bachelor's Buttons is something else entierly - perhaps I've had it wrong since childhood.

018

Curled Dock (Rumex crispus)

I didn't get the leaves in the picture, but I remembered them well enough.

019

Purple Loosetrife (Lythrum salicaria)

020

Water Hemlock (Cicuta maculata)

026

Common Plantain (Plantago major)

027

Yellow Wood-Sorrel (Oxalis europaea)

This one's different from O. Stricta whose seed pods are at an angle with the stem; I should get both next time.

028

Field Peppergrass (Lepidium virginicum)

Next time, get the leaves too.

030

Common St. Johnswort (Hypericum Perforatum)

I had substituted "spotted" for "common"; the little dots on the petals are a field mark, but that's not its name.

033

Deptford Pink (Dianthus armeria)

Different from Marsh Pink, so another incorrect guess.

034

False Foxglove (Gerardia ??)

I'm not sure if I have enough to go on here, but I don't see what else grows that tall. I've tried to show both the leaf and the flower buds, since the whole thing is about 6' tall.

037

Bouncing Bet (Saponaria officinalis)

039

Common Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)

040

Day-Lily (Hemerocallis fulva)

041

Black Swallowwort (Cynanchum nigrum)

I had given this up as unidentifyable, until stumbling across it while looking for something else in the field guide. I mean the paired shiny leaves and pods, not the other stuff it's tangled with.

044

Celandine (Chelidonium majus)

051

Lady's Thumb (Polygonum persicaria)

052

Creeping Bell-flower (Campanula rapunculoides)

054

Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)

055

Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)

058

Butter-and-Eggs (Linaria vulgaris)

I later found one that was in flower, but didn't stop for it.

059

Spurge (Euphorbia)

(Lots of subspecies; I don't have enough to go on, here.)

061

Tyrell Knapweed (Centaurea vochinensis)

(I can't tell which knapweed is which without the book.)

062

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

There's more to confuse this with than I thought, so it would have been worth a closer look.

065

Wild Carrot (Daucus carota)

067

Horseweed (Erigeron canadensis)

068

Early Goldenrod (Solidago juncea)

I didn't realise there were so many varieties to choose from, but the stuff in the leaf axils is distinctive.

071

Blue Toadflax (Linaria canadensis)

074

Common Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)

075

Aster (Aster ??)

Oops! Not nearly enough to identify this one.

077

Black Knapweed (Centaurea nigra)

079

Red Campion (Lychnis dioica)

I forgot to count the styles, but I think this is right.

080

Common Buttercup (Ranunculus acris)

082

Meadowsweet (Spirea latifolia)

(New to me, but the name's familiar so maybe I just forgot.)

086

Garlic Mustard (Alliaria officinalis)

087

Spiny-Leaved Sow-Thistle (Sonchus asper)

I didn't correctly name the subspecies.

090

Burdock (Arctium ??)

I should remember that I need to look for stem grooves to distinguish species.

091

Creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea)

I knew this one by smell and habit, but I could only find it in Peterson's by latin name, once I had that. Remembering that strong smelling things are often mint-family, would have helped.

092

Birdfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)

094

Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris)

095

Panicled Tick-Trefoil (Desmodium paniculatum)

I missed the id on this one, but I might have had a better chance later in the year, when the distinctive clingy seed pods are everywhere.

097

White Clover (Trifolium repens)

099

Narrow-leaved Vervain (Verbena simplex)

103

Fragrant Water-Lily (Nymphaea odorata)

Not American Lotus, which is yellow, and which I know I've looked up before. (In the background.)

108

Hedge Bindweed (Convolvulus sepium)

I guessed Jimsonweed, which has toothed leaves.

110

Common Cattail (Typhia latifolia)

112

Bur-Cucumber (Sicyos angulatus)

Without flowers or fruit to go on, I could be convinced otherwise... I thought it was Wild Cucumber before getting the book out.

114

Tall Meadow Rue (Thalictrum polygamum)

115

Asiatic Dayflower(Commelina communis)

I didn't stop for the ones I saw early on, then had trouble finding another patch, because it was gloomy enough for them all to be closed.

117

White Avens (Geum canadense)

One I've looked up before, but didn't remember.

119

Rough-fruited Cinquefoil (Potentilla recta)

I knew it was a cinquefoil, but was wrong about which one.