I Rate Plants

Unbiased plant rating

[I Rate Plants @BaptisiaBabble]

Spring crocus, Crocus vernus. A non-native, but nice to see it as one of the harbingers of spring. Flowers are cute and variable in color. I like seeing them take over lawns. 6/10. For native range, let's say 8/10. #crocus #springcrocus #plants #flowers #ratingplants

[I Rate Plants @BaptisiaBabble]

Pawpaw, Asimina triloba. Pawpaw season is upon us. Member of a mostly tropical family that found its way north. Fruit tastes really good imo. I also love plants with big leaves. 10/10. #pawpaw #asimina #plants #ratingplants

[I Rate Plants @BaptisiaBabble]

Rosinweed, Silphium integrifolium. One of the most common Silphiums, kind of meh compared to the others. Could be useful as an oilseed crop though, and was/is useful to indigenous peoples. 6/10. #rosinweed #silphium #plants #ratingplants

[I Rate Plants @BaptisiaBabble]

Swamp thistle, Cirsium muticum. I actually love thistles, I think plants that can hurt you are really neat. Swamp thistle is the best of the thistles I've seen for reasons I can't explain, maybe because it's rarer than others. 10/10. #swampthistle #thistle #ratingplants #plants

[I Rate Plants @BaptisiaBabble]

Spotted knapweed, Centaurea stoebe. Neat to have centaur in your scientific name, and the flower is attractive enough. Unfortunately, one of the worst invasive species in the US; not too bad in IL. 3/10. 5/10 for its native range. #spottedknapweed #plants #ratingplants

[I Rate Plants @BaptisiaBabble]

Halberd-leaf rosemallow, Hibiscus laevis. Everytime I see hibiscus I kiss it. I have multiple photos of me kissing hibiscus. Gorgeous plant, its cool we have native hibiscus this far north and I like its color more than most garden hibiscus. 10/10. #hibiscus #plants #ratingplants

[I Rate Plants @BaptisiaBabble]

Reed canary, Phalaris arundinacea. Not my photo. Scourge of the restoration community, but not entirely bad, and also not entirely non-native. Has its purposes as biomass, shelter, hay, and psychedelics if you're into that. 4/10. #reedcanarygrass #plants #ratingplants

[I Rate Plants @BaptisiaBabble]

Trumpet creeper, Campsis radicans. Big bonus for feeding hummingbirds. Flowers look cool and seed pods are neat. Spreads everywhere, which is a benefit and a drawback, can be pretty aggressive. 7/10. #plants #trumpetcreeper #ratingplants #flowers

[I Rate Plants @BaptisiaBabble]

White vervain, Verbena urticifolia. My least favorite of the vervains, but there's like 150 species so I only know a handful. Just not that impressive looking, but we do love a species that colonizes disturbed areas, they're important. 4/10. #whitevervain #verbena #plants

[I Rate Plants @BaptisiaBabble]

Obedient plant, Physostegia virginiana. Sub ass name. Very pretty though. Flowers stay in place when pushed, hence obedience. I love late season bloomers almost as much as early season ones. 8/10. #obedientplant #plants #ratingplants #physostegia

[I Rate Plants @BaptisiaBabble]

Bur oak, Quercus macrocarpa. Sometimes you can't beat the classics. Not the most unique oak but one of the best. One of the most important species in its environment. Biggest acorns of any American oak. 10/10. #buroak #plants #ratingplants #oaks #trees

[I Rate Plants @BaptisiaBabble]

Scarlet paintbrush, Castilleja coccinea. Castilleja is a beautiful name, name your daughter that. Nice to see a red flower on the prairie. It makes me think of lipstick. Sometimes is yellow. A rarity in IL, a real treat. 10/10 #plants #castilleja #ratingplants #scarletpaintbrush

[I Rate Plants @BaptisiaBabble]

Wild parsnip, Pastinaca sativa. I absolutely hate this plant. It has no redeeming qualities. I guess some insects like it. It's ugly and it hurts you and it's invasive af. 0/10. Wouldn't even give it a high score to its native range, at most a 1/10 there. #parsnip #plants

[I Rate Plants @BaptisiaBabble]

Ginkgo, G. biloba. A living fossil, heir to a 300 million year lineage, now resurrected as a city decor tree. Overused in city planning, would prefer native trees, but I love ginkgos. Their fruit smells like vomit and that's funny. 6/10, 10/10 in its native range #ginkgo #plants

[I Rate Plants @BaptisiaBabble]

For #WorldTigerDay, the tiger lily, Lilium lancifolium. Much better looking than day lilies, but can also be an invasive escapee here in the USA. Not as good as native lilies, but still pretty. I'll give it a 5/10 in the USA, and a 9/10 in its native range. #plants #ratingplants

[I Rate Plants @BaptisiaBabble]

Cup plant, Silphium perfoliatum. I know there are compass plant supremacists out there but this is my favorite Silphium. Cool clasping leaves trap water that insects drink out of and tree frogs hang out in. 9/10. #compassplant #plants #ratingplants

[I Rate Plants @BaptisiaBabble]

American pokeweed, Phytolacca americana. Extremely enticing looking, but poisonous, which knocks its score down. If these berries were as edible as they looked, easy 10. Weedy, but important food source for birds and a good pioneer. 5/10. #pokeweed #ratingplants #plants

[I Rate Plants @BaptisiaBabble]

Queen of the prairie, Filipendula rubra. Truly deserving of her name. And Filipendula is fun to say too. She's delicate. Pink color reminds me of cotton candy. Endangered in IL. Easy 10/10. #ratingplants #plants #queenoftheprairie

[I Rate Plants @BaptisiaBabble]

Mustache grass, Bouteloua hirsuta. Fun common name and Bouteloua is fun to say too. Needs to be more of it, only seen it once so far. 8/10.

[I Rate Plants @BaptisiaBabble]

Butterfly milkweed, Asclepias tuberosa. I respect it for doing something different than other native milkweeds but I'm sorry she doesn't do it for me. Also there's barely any scent to it. I do prefer common milkweed. 5/10, maybe a 6 #butterflymilkweed #ratingplants #plants