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East Side Recycling Center Scavenger Hunt
Use these pictures and descripƟons to locate and idenƟfy just a few of the plant species that can be found at
the East Side Recycling Center.
A. ANISE HYSSOP—The leaves and Ɵny lavender‐blue flowers of anise hyssop smell and taste of anise, but its square stems and
opposite leaves tell you it belongs to the mint family. The leaves look a bit like catnip, another mint‐family member, but larger.
B. GRAY‐HEADED CONEFLOWER—A slender, hairy‐stemmed plant bearing flower heads with drooping, yellow rays surrounding a
roundish, grayish central disk darkening to brown as rays drop off.
C. BLACK AND GOLD GARDEN SPIDER—This nonpoisonous spider is easily idenƟfiable by its disƟncƟve gold and black coloring
found on the abdomen. Their legs are marked by alternaƟng bands of orange and black, though this paƩern varies from spider
to spider. Their webs are typical of other Orbweaver spiders: their webs spiral out from the center.
D. BUCKEYE BUTTERFLY—This buƩerfly can be idenƟfied by the bold paƩern of eyespots and white bars on the surface of its up‐
per wings. These eyespots help startle or distract predators, such as young birds. Common buckeyes are seasonally polyphon‐
ic; their hindwings turn from brown or tan in summer to rose‐red in the fall.
E. BUTTERFLY BUSH—BuƩerfly bush are idenƟfiable by their long panicles of colorful flowers, ranging from very dark purple to
pink to pure white, and for their ability to aƩract buƩerflies and other beneficial insects.
F. MILKWEED SEED POD—The fruit of common milkweed are green pods which turn brown before bursƟng open to let out fluffy
seeds. More buoyant than cork, the fluffy silk threads aƩached to the seeds were used in place of down in aviaƟon lifejackets
during WWII.
G. MONARCH BUTTERFLY— Perhaps the most familiar North American buƩerfly, monarch buƩerfly wings feature an easily recog‐
nizable black, orange, and white paƩern, with a wingspan of 3.5 to 4 inches. Eastern North American monarchs are notable for
their annual migraƟons between the United States/southern Canada and Mexico. Due to a variety of threats, the populaƟon
of monarch buƩerflies has experienced a ten‐fold drop over the last decade.
H. MONARCH CATERPILLAR—Monarch caterpillars emerge from their eggs pale green and translucent and begin feeding on milk‐
weed. Over Ɵme, the larva loses its translucence as it begins to develop its characterisƟc paƩern of white, yellow and black
transverse bands. Pairs of black tentacles, called sƟnk horns, grow out on both sides of the caterpillar.
I. PURPLE CONEFLOWER—Known by its LaƟn name Echinacea purpurea, the purple coneflower is a coarse, rough‐hairy perennial
that is naƟve to the prairies, meadows and open woods of the central and southeastern United States. It typically grows 2‐4
feet tall, with daisy‐like purple coneflowers that bloom throughout summer.
J. PURPLE MARTIN HOUSE‐‐Purple martins, the largest North American swallows, are known for their aerial acrobatics and can
be seen diving into their housing from the sky at great speeds with their wings tucked. These birds suffered a severe popula‐
tion crash in the 20th century widely linked ot the release of European starlings in North America. The population of east pur‐
ple martins is dependent on artificial martin houses, often in the form of fake plastic gourds.
K. SNEEZEWEED—Common sneezeweed is a perennial plant in the daisy or aster family. Its abundant yellow blooms can be found
in late summer to fall, oŌen aƩracƟng bees and buƩerflies. Rub the flower between your fingers—it smells like bubblegum.
L. WHITE CABBAGE BUTTERFLY—The white cabbage buƩerfly is oŌen the first buƩerfly to appear at the beginning of summer.
OŌen affecƟonately called the summer snowflake, the adults can be idenƟfied by their white wings with one or two dark
spots.