Don Croner’s Wanders on the Great Allegheny Passage Bike Trail | Early Flora

Spring is eighteen days away. Three days ago this section of the GAP south of Meyersdale was covered with snow. Now the verges of trail are tinged with green. 

Some green vegetation has already appeared:

Young leaves of dame’s rocket

Mature Dame’s Rocket. 05.01.2025

Mature Dame’s Rocket. 05.01.2025

Don Croner’s Wanders on the Great Allegheny Passage Bike Trail (GAP) | Flora | Bee Balm

Bee balm (Monarda didyma) is a native North American medicinal and aromatic herb belonging to the Lamiaceae (mint) family. This perennial plant, which typically grows in colonies, is indigenous to eastern North America, where it naturally occurs in bottomlands, thickets, moist woodlands, and along stream banks and is particularly well-suited to the riparian environments found along trails such as the GAP. The name has a dual meaning. The crushed leaves were traditionally applied as a balm to bee stings and minor skin irritations to soothe pain and reduce infections, and the flowers themselves are also highly attractive to bees and other pollinators.

The plant is also known as Oswego tea. The Oswego Native Americans around the Oswego River in upstate New York used an infusion of the flower and leaves to treat a variety of ailments, including coughs and colds, fever, abdominal pains, and flatulence, and in a poultice to treat sore eyes. They also used it in cooking to flavor game, especially birds, and drank infusions of the leaves as a beverage. Early European settlers learned this latter usage from them and after the Boston Tea Party, when imported tea was boycotted, adopted it as a local substitute, calling it “Oswego tea” (please keep in mind that the only true tea is made from the tea plant, Camellia sinensis). Bee balm is also known as bergamot, but it should not be confused with another plant known as wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), which has lavender-colored flowers instead of the distinctive scarlet flowers of Monarda didyma. 

Nor should bee balm, Oswego tea, or bergamot be confused with the bergamot citrus tree, a native of southern Italy. An essential oil from the peel of the fruit of the bergamot orange tree is used as a flavoring in the famous Earl Grey tea blend. The taste of bee balm has an almost uncanny similarity to the taste of the bergamot orange, and thus the native American plant also became known as bergamot. The dried leaves of bee balm mixed with loose black tea will produce a brew that can be differentiated from Earl Grey tea only by hard-core tea cognoscenti. Infusions and tinctures of bee balm alone are used to treat indigestion and nausea, intestinal cramps, and diarrhea. Bee balm also serves as a nervine tonic and relaxant, exerting a calming effect on the nervous system without causing excessive sedation. The plant also has great aesthetic value, with its lovely scarlet flowers brilliantly festooning the edges of the GAP. 

Bee Balm

Bee Balm

Bee Balm

Bee Balm

Don Croner’s Wanders on the Great Allegheny Passage | Flora | Red Columbine

Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), is one of the GAP’s most striking native wildflowers. This perennial herb in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) produces distinctive nodding flowers with red outer petals surrounding yellow centers, from which emerge bright yellow stamens and pistils. The flowers feature backward-elongating tubes called spurs that contain nectar, creating an unmistakable profile that heralds the arrival of spring along both the edges of the GAP and on adjacent hardwood-forested hillsides and steeply sloping ravines.

The timing of red columbine's bloom coincides precisely with the northward spring migration of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, typically beginning in April when these birds arrive from their wintering grounds in Mexico and Central America. Red columbine provides the first substantial nectar source for these energy-demanding migrants. Notably, the nectar of red-flowered columbines contains twice the sugar content of other North American columbine species, along with necessary amino acids.

Native Americans, specifically the Meskwaki people, added columbine seeds to smoking blends, and other tribes used the crushed seeds as a perfume and in love charms. Native Americans also used the seeds, roots, flowers, and leaves for various medicinal purposes, including kidney and urinary ailments, and stomach aches. European colonists used the plant for gallbladder disorders and relief of general stomach and intestinal problems. 

The entire plant does contain various toxic compounds, and the borderline between medicine and poison is difficult to define—it has been known to poison rabbits—and most modern herbalists seem to shy away from it, since safer alternatives are available.  Also, it usually does not occur in great quantities, making it best enjoyed for the aesthetic qualities of its gorgeous flowers.  

Red Columbine

Red Columbine

Red Columbine

Don Croner’s Wanders on the Great Allegheny (GAP) Bike Trail | Flora | Black-eyed and Brown-eyed Susans

Two Susans occur along the GAP:

 Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

 Botanical Classification

- Scientific name: Rudbeckia hirta

• Family: Asteraceae (Aster/Sunflower family)

- Life cycle: Biennial or short-lived perennial (sometimes behaves as annual)

 Physical Characteristics

Size:

- Height: 2-4 feet (60-120 cm)

- Spread: 1-2 feet (30-60 cm)

Flowers:

- Size: Large—2.5-4 inches across (6-10 cm)

- Ray petals: Yellow, golden-yellow to orange (8-21 rays)

- Center disk: Dark brown to black, dome-shaped and prominent

- Bloom time: June to October (late summer through fall)

- Fewer but larger flowers per plant

Leaves:

- Basal leaves: 10-18 cm long, mostly unlobed

- Larger leaves overall (3-7 inches long)

- Covered in coarse, stiff hairs giving rough texture

- "Hirta" means "hairy" in Latin—referring to the bristly trichomes

Stems:

- Stout, branching, hairy stems

- Usually over 8 inches long

 Habitat & Distribution

- Native to eastern and central North America

- Found in all 48 contiguous states and all 10 Canadian provinces

- Grows in prairies, meadows, roadsides, disturbed areas

- Tolerates: Heat, drought, poor soil, wide pH range

• State flower of Maryland

 Black-eyed Susan

 Black-eyed Susan

 Black-eyed Susan

 Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba)

 Botanical Classification

- Scientific name: Rudbeckia triloba

- Family: Asteraceae (Aster/Sunflower family)

- Common names: Brown-eyed Susan, three-lobed coneflower, thin-leaved coneflower, branched coneflower

- Life cycle: Biennial or short-lived perennial

 Physical Characteristics

Size:

- Height: Taller—2-5 feet (can reach up to 5 feet

- Spread: 1-1.5 feet (narrower than black-eyed

- Bushy, open, branched appearance

Flowers:

- Size: Smaller—1-2 inches across (about 1/3 the size of black-eyed)

- Ray petals: Deep golden yellow, 6-13 shorter, wider rays

- Center disk: Dark purple-brown to jet-black, button-shaped, flattened cone (slightly lighter than black-eyed)

- Bloom time: Later season—late summer through fall (July-October), until hard frost

- More numerous flowers covering the entire plan

- Longer blooming period

Leaves:

- Distinctive three-lobed basal leaves (hence "triloba")

- Upper leaves: Smaller, lance-shaped, often unlobed

- Thinner, more delicate leaves than black-eyed

- 2-4 inches long, ½-2 inches wide

- Covered in bristly hairs but less coarse than black-eye

Stems:

- Many-branched stems creating masses of flowers

- Bristly hairy, often reddish-green

- "Country cousin" appearance—more sprawling

 Habitat & Distribution

- Native to eastern and central United States (New York to Florida, west to Minnesota, Utah, Texas)

- Prairies, woodland borders, thickets, rocky slopes, roadsides

- Prefers moist soil but adaptable

How to Tell Them Apart in the Field

 Quick Visual Cues:

1. Flower size is the giveaway

   - If the bloom is as big as your palm → Black-eyed Susan

   - If the bloom is 1/3 that size → Brown-eyed Susan

2. Look at the leaves

   - Large, hairy, mostly unlobed → Black-eyed Susan

   - Three-lobed basal leaves, thinner overall → Brown-eyed Susan

3. Count the flowers

   - A few big, bold flowers → Black-eyed Susan

   - Plant covered in masses of smaller flowers → Brown-eyed Susan

4. Growth habit

   - Sturdy, upright, well-behaved → Black-eyed Susan

   - Bushy, branching, sprawling → Brown-eyed Susan

Ecological & Garden Value

Both species are outstanding for:

- Naturalized plantings and meadows

- Pollinator gardens

- Native plant gardens

- Cottage gardens (especially brown-eyed)

- Roadsides and disturbed areas

- Prairie restoration

- Butterfly gardens

- Cut flower gardens

Historical/Medical Note: Native Americans used Rudbeckia hirta medicinally, though the plant is toxic to cats. Both species have been used in folk medicine.

 Along the GAP

Given that the Great Allegheny Passage runs through prime habitat for both species—disturbed roadsides, woodland edges, open meadows, old fields—you'll encounter both along your journey. 

Look for:

- Black-eyed Susan (R. hirta) in sunnier, more open areas with those big, bold 3-4 inch flowers

- Brown-eyed Susan (R. triloba) in slightly shadier woodland borders and thickets, creating clouds of smaller blooms in late summer

Both are quintessential late-summer sights along the GAP—cheerful yellow beacons that brighten the landscape just as other wildflowers are fading into autumn.

 Brown-eyed Susan

Brown-eyed Susan

Brown-eyed Susan

Brown-eyed Susan

Don Croner’s Wanders on the Great Allegheny Passage Bike Trail | Flora | Asters

GAPERs on the trail after Labor Day will be rewarded with numerous displays of asters, perennial flowering plants belonging to the daisy family Asteraceae, known for their vivid flowers and late blooming period. All of these asters are natives of North America, and they claim their rightful place along the GAP after dominant invasives like dandelion, garlic mustard, dame’s rocket, and others have shed their flowers and hung their heads for the season. The name "aster" comes from the Greek word for "star",  the shape of their flower heads. Many once belonged to the genus Aster, but most North American species have been reclassified. The lovely azure aster was once Aster azureus but is now Symphyotrichum oolentangiense. This plant thrives on the edge of the GAP and is a dominant Autumn plant in some areas. The big leaf aster, Eurybia macrophylla, is less common on the verges of the GAP but is easily found in adjacent hardwood forests. This delicate beauty is worth looking for. The gorgeous blue wood aster is another plant worth pursuing, although it is a bit more shy and elusive than its cousins. The bog aster (Symphyotrichum boreale), as the name implies, can be found in bogs, wet meadows, and on the edges of swamps, along the GAP. The mountain aster (Oclemena acuminata) occurs in well-drained hardwood forests throughout the Eastern United States. And don’t forget to look for the awl aster, Symphyotrichum pilosum.

Azure Aster

Azure Aster

Big Leaf Aster

Big Leaf Aster

Blue Wood Aster

Blue Wood Aster

 Bog Aster

 Bog Aster

Mountain Aster 

Awl Aster

 

Don Croner’s Wanders on the Great Allegheny Passage | Flora | Bloodroot

Bloodroot is a perennial native to Eastern North America. It is an early bloomer, sometimes flowering by the beginning of April. Its white flowers are so attractive that it is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental, especially by gardeners who want an early-flowering plant in their gardens. Along the GAP it most commonly occurs in moist woods and along the banks of small streams. The plant gets its name from the red sap of its roots, which is poisonous, as are the leaves, which are eaten by few if any herbivores. The active ingredient in the sap has been touted as a cancer cure, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration includes supplements containing bloodroot extract in its list of “187 Fake Cancer 'Cures' Consumers Should Avoid.” Also, the flowers do not produce nectar, making them unattractive to bees. GAPers are advised to admire the beautiful flowers, but leave the rest of the plant alone.

04.14.25

04.14.25