buds

The buds of the rosemallow look like alien pods from outer space.

 

Rosemallow

The rosemallow at the water's edge in bloom.

 

Rosemalloiw

Hibiscus growing wild in North Carolina?  Well, sort of.  It's a Crimsoneyed Rosemallow, common to swampy areas in the Eastern US.

 (See here)

 

Plant help

PlantNet is a great app that helps identify plants.  Take a picture, load it up and it searches for the closest match.

This beauty is a native hibiscus called Rose Mallow.

 

Crimson eyed Rosemallow

It's always a surprise to find native hibiscus growing wild in North Carolina.  They bloom this time of year along the lakeside.

Some are even pink.

 

Crimsoneyed Rosemallow

I thought these plants had escaped from someone's garden.  It seemed like they couldn't be native plants, they look just too exotic.  But they are native to the Eastern US.

Crimsoneyed Rosemallow (here)  It grows along the edge of wetlands.  Here at Shelly Lake they're in bloom all around the lake.