Yellow Rattle

This partially parasitic plant derives water and minerals from the adjoining root systems of grasses. The small, rather squat, yellow flowers have two lips, with tiny violet teeth on the upper lip. The calyx is extremely inflated and, when ripe and dry, the enclosed capsule and its seeds rattle when moved by the wind. The narrow leaves are dark green.

Yarrow

Yarrow may form large drifts of white flowers among the dry grasses of late summer. The erect stems are very tough and hairy. Numerous small flowers are borne in flattopped clusters, and are usually white but may be tinged with pink.

Yellow Bird’s-nest

This extraordinary plant is a saprophyte, drawing its nutrients from a tangled root system (said to resemble a bird’s nest) that feeds on decaying vegetable matter in the soil. The leaves are scales lying close to the stem, and the flowers are a cluster of tubular bells, each with four or five petals. The stems become upright when the fruit develops.