Common Mullein

Driving through the American countryside, especially across semi-arid grasslands of the West, one readily concludes that common mullein is native to North America. Yet, this widespread plant, easily recognized by its tall, flowering stalk, is native to Eurasia and North Africa; it was introduced to America by European colonists in the early 1700s and was initially culivated for medicinal purposes.

Favoring abundant sunshine and well-drained soil, common mullein is a biennial, requiring two years to complete its life cycle. Following germination, the plant forms a rosette of large, velvety leaves which persists through the following winter; as the second spring progresses, a tall stalk is produced (often rising 6 feet or more) on which numerous, compact, yellow flowers develop. These flowers, which bloom in sequence from late June through mid September, are pollinated by bees, other insects or wind currents; an abundant crop of tiny seeds, eaten by goldfinches and buntings, remain on the drying stalk through the winter and are eventually scattered by the wind. Able to survive long periods of dormancy, mullein seeds are programmed to await ideal growing conditions and may not germinate for decades.

Like other prolific aliens, such as dandelions and starlings, common mullein owes its success in North America to the human tendency to manipulate natural ecosystems. Once introduced into a new environment, the reproductive potential of alien species is often impossible to contain and, to the chagrin of gardeners, farmers and ranchers, they become naturalized "weeds or pests". Since common mullein is clearly here to stay, we might as well enjoy the seasonal beauty of these tall, sun-loving plants.

An Evening Buffet

Granted a mild, sunny evening, we headed down to the Forum Nature Preserve, a local, prairie-wetland refuge that we ignored in recent weeks due to the oppressive heat and humidity. In our absence, the prairie grasses had grown to five feet or more and were now adorned with the golds and purples of late summer: goldenrod, yellow coneflowers, black-eyed susans, thistles and blazing star. Indigo buntings sang from atop the prairie saplings while goldfinches and yellow-billed cuckoos foraged across the woodland border.

But the highlight of this evening was at the large seasonal lake, which, following two months of excessive heat, had nearly evaporated, leaving a broad, shallow, meandering pool. Frogs and turtles peered from the deeper areas and small fish splashed about, desperate to find a path to safety. Taking advantage of this evening buffet, great blue and green-backed herons, stalked the shallows, feasting on the hapless victims, while, along the expanding mudflats, killdeer, spotted sandpipers and a host of migrant shorebirds, fed on aquatic invertebrates, exposed by the shrinking lake.

Away from this center of activity, white-tailed deer browsed in the fading sunlight, nighthawks circled overhead and a barred owl called from the creekside forest. Were it not for a persistent and annoying horsefly, it would have been a peaceful, evening stroll.