“There is just as much beauty visible in the landscape as we are prepared to appreciate.”
-Thoreau in Autumnal Tints
The Charles River is a natural history treasure for the people of Boston. In July, my son Dan and I went kayaking and observed the most astonishing display of rose mallow plants flowering along the banks of the Charles in West Roxbury, Dedham, and Needham. There were thousands of gigantic plants, many of them with dozens of 6 to 10 foot tall stems, and covered with huge saucer sized pink blossoms. The most impressive display of flowers was on an island in the Motley Pond region of the river.
Tall multi-stemmed rose mallow plants along the banks of the Charles
Flowers of rose mallow are astonishingly large
Large patches of dying purple loosestrife plants could also be seen along the river. This beautiful European ornamental plant has been an aggressive wetland invader over the past 4 decades, out-competing native species. In recent years, European beetles that specialize on purple loosestrife have been released as a biological control program. And by the looks of these highly damaged plants, the beetles have won the fight.
Stands of purple loosestrife turning brown with damage
Beetles have damaged this purple loosestrife plant
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