miriamm's Identifications

For the longest time people would ask me what the weird orange stuff growing in marshes was and I'd say I thought it was some weird algae. No idea where I got that notion, but it's totally wrong: it's dodder! Dodder is a strange, rootless, fully-parasitic vine that penetrates the stems of its host, much like mistletoe. This species actually isn't the marsh one, but an upland cousin.

As I was looking at these flowers, I couldn't quite tell if they belonged to the dodder or the host (which may have been a buckwheat). Now I know. And knowing is half the battle. G.I. Joe.