Calling on Native Hunter...

[Triple C]

I have a comprehensive weed book but man do I have a hard time identifying plants. I'm getting better but still a novice. I have 2 plants below that I need help identifying. After logging, I have stuff popping up everywhere soil was disturbed and sun light hitting the floor. This area was used as a small logging deck and is now covered in all manner of forbs and such. We are just now seeing plants flowering. When I drove up on this area this past weekend I was pleasantly surprised to see dozens and dozens of butterflies using this plant with the purple flowers. Plus, the 3rd pic shows the browse that is occurring on these plants. The deer are devouring it down to the stems and the butterflies love it. What is it?






Here's one that I'm very familiar with but don't know the proper name. Down south we call it rabbit tobacco. When I was a kid, in the winter, we would take a grocery bag (when they were paper), strip the stems of the leaves and roll us a stogie. Actually smoked the stuff. It's just now beginning to brown on the stems and is easily identifiable by what I know it as which is rabbit tobacco. What is the plant name?

 

[lakngolf]

Those orange butterflies must have migrated from central Alabama to Georgia. I think mine are hanging out on the same plant also

 

[Triple C]

lak...That's the same plant and the same butterflies! Pretty cool. Have you noticed browsing on these plants. Deer are hammering ours.

 

[Native Hunter]

TC,
I used to chew Rabbit Tobacco when I was a kid. The scientific name is Gnaphalium obtusifolium. It has many common names such as Old Field Balm, Sweet Everlasting and Cudweed.

I need to see some closer and clearer pictures of your first plant - leaves and flower. I have a hunch, but can't say without some better pics. I think the flowers are about ready to open on that plant and it will be easy to tell then.

 

[Triple C]

TC,
I used to chew Rabbit Tobacco when I was a kid. The scientific name is Gnaphalium obtusifolium. It has many common names such as Old Field Balm, Sweet Everlasting and Cudweed.

I need to see some closer and clearer pictures of your first plant - leaves and flower. I have a hunch, but can't say without some better pics. I think the flowers are about ready to open on that plant and it will be easy to tell then.

Bet most kids down south that grew up in the 60s have either chewed or smoked rabbit tobacco, cudweed, Gnaphalium obtusifolium. I'm gonna stick with the common name. As for the other plants, I'll take some close up pics this coming weekend.

 

[Native Hunter]

TC, does this look anything like your plant?

http://www.florafinder.com/Species/Verbena_hastata.php

 

[George]

A comprehensive weed book means that it probably has an exhaustive Key. I have tried but I can't say for sure if I have ever figured out a single genus and species using a key. I couldn't key out a quercus plant.

G

 

[George]

1st plant, butterfly balm getting ready to flower?

G

 

[massey]

Id say Laks plant is for sure blue verbena Tc's looks like an ironweed to me.

 

[Native Hunter]

Id say Laks plant is for sure blue verbena Tc's looks like an ironweed to me.

Yes, I thought their plants looked different too. I could see Lak's better than TC's and thought it was Blue Verbena - so that is why I posted the link for it. I felt like TC's was probably an ironweed too, but it sure is hard to see in that pic......and since I can't imagine deer browsing ironweed that hard, I thought it might be something else....

 

[dgallow]

TCs plant with white flowers looks like late-flowering boneset (Eupatorium serotinum).
https://www.google.com/search?q=lat...2&ved=0ahUKEwjm8e2dicTPAhXs7IMKHexuAKUQsAQINQ