Learning curve

May 24, 2017  •  Leave a Comment

Last spring or maybe the one before it, I got a note from a dear friend and loyal reader about a picture of a flower that I was calling wild Sweet William. The sharp-eyed observer, who was also a dedicated gardener, questioned this identification and wonder whether the plant might be a wild Phlox. I was sure I was right and, after the most cursory look through my Peterson Field Guide to the Wildflowers, Northeastern/Northcentral North America, I assured her that I'd been correct. Ah, the road to taxonomic hell is paved with such over-assurance. This afternoon, while I was reveling in the unexpected appearance of a hummingbird moth known as a Nessus Sphinx—this is the dark-winged invertebrate "hummer" with those two bright bands on its dark abdomen—I paid more attention than usually to the flowers it was visiting and noticed, to my shock, that the blossoms had four petals. Members of the Phlox/Sweet William congregation have five petals. Time for the proverbial "dope slap" here... and for a botanical apology. I've been misidentifying this commoner for years: it's not what I've been calling it, but rather a member of the Mustard Family known as Dame's Rocket. So, better botanically late than never, and sorry for leading anyone astray. The Nessus Sphinx, however, is exactly what I'm calling it—and for its part, the moth was enjoying the free meal, whatever plant species was producing it.

 


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