What IS That?

I really lucked out on this week's 'What IS That?' theme for PhotoHunt. It just so happened that I had made a post with almost that exact title only a few days before I started participating in PhotoHunt. Since at that time no one took a guess on what my photo was of I decided I would wait for this week's theme to post the photo again and then provide the answer.

It's not too hard to guess what it likely is in general, but if you are like I was you probably don't know its specific name.
Now play fair and guess (at least to yourself) before you click Read More to open the rest of the post and find out what it actually is.

I'm sure many of you guessed it was some kind of plant or the flower of a plant. If you did you are correct. This is the flower of the buttonbush plant. Buttonbush is an aquatic shrub that is natural through most of the eastern USA and all the way across the south. It is hardy and grows as far north as Nova Scotia. The plant typically grows around ponds, lakes, and streams or where the soil remains moist year-around. There are 3 or 4 of the shrubs along the pond.




The bush itself is not all that pretty, but it's flower gives it a special charm all its own.





The pincushion look of the flower is unique and the honey-like fragrance makes it a favorite of butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees. In fact the plant is sometimes known as the Honeyball.

Most of our buttonbushes happen to be shaded by trees along the banks so they produce a limited number of flowers. Still, they are very interesting to watch as the flowers progress through their growth cycle from small bumpy green balls to white before they then develop the white pincushion appearance. As they continue to mature their colors evolve with portions becoming a brown or orange and even almost red in some cases. Evidently there are several varieties of the bush as the placement of the balls varies among several bushes we have.

The bush provides a wide variety of benefits within its environment. Ducks and other water fowl love the seed of the bush. Many birds find its dense foliage a safe haven and a suitable nesting site. It is a fast growing shrub and its roots provide a good erosion control tool.

Buttonbush plants are good for a naturalized setting in soggy soils, quick growing, and can be pruned ruthlessly if required. We also have another bush away from the pond that has grown much larger and produces a great number of the flowers, but I think I''ll save that one for a later post.

PhotoHunt
Weekly Theme - 'What IS That?