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Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Neighborhood wildflowers for National Wildflower Week

May 4-12, 2013 is National Wildflower Week sponsored by The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas.

I'm posting photos of wildflowers growing in a field near my house.  The field is commercial property and will be developed eventually.  I enjoy walking there and often collect seeds from plants to add to my garden.  The area below is a small arroyo which feeds the creek along our backyard.
 


Some of these plants I have identified and others are not known to me so please let me know in the comments if you know or have an idea what they are.

First the ones that I am pretty sure of the names

Opuntia blooms, the orange-accented yellow bloom is different from most native prickly pear in the area.  I collected a few pads to add to our cactus garden.



Typical yellow opuntia blooms


White Prickly Poppy (Argemone albiflora spp. texana) impressed me by blooming through two years of drought.  The prickly nature of this plant has me hesitating to bring it into the garden.


Mexican Hat Flowers (Ratibida columnifiera) are peaking this week


Here's a wider view of these elegant flowers.  They are blooming in the yard as well and I'll have post photos of those soon.

 
Green milkweed vine (Matelea reticulata) has delicate blooms with pearl centers that look almost fake
 
Indian blanket or Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella)


Prairie Verbena


Prairie Phlox (Polemoniaceae Phlox pilosa)  
                 


Pink evening primrose which used to grow all over the yard and I'd love for it to return so I need to seek out the seeds.


Sensitive briar (Mimosa microphylla) is generally considered a weed.  I think it's pretty and have tried to get it going in my garden.
 

Now for the flowers I do not know

Yellow with red-orange center
 

White bloom stalk


Yellow flowers next to the Gaillardia


Cream colored flower


White daisy-like flower is Hierba del Marrano


Another view below


This pink flower is similar to Texas bluebonnets so is definitely in the pea family.  It is Scarlet pea (Indigofera miniata), thanks again Yvonne.


Texas wildflowers are having a good year due to regular rainfall and below average temperatures this spring. There should be plenty of seeds produced to keep the wildflowers going strong.

22 comments:

  1. I missed recognizing National Wildflower Week this year. I better take some pictures of mine and get a post up.
    You captured some interesting wildflowers for your post. There are several that I don't recognize.

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    1. There's still time for a post and I'm sure you can find quite a few nice ones right out your door.

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  2. I used to have a wildflower book for the Tx. hill country when I lived up there. When I belonged to the Native Plant Society I began learning and recognizing a lot of wildflowers, but now have forgotten them I believe. But maybe....The first yellow with orange center maybe is a rock rose or yellow flax, would have to see the leaves to be sure. The white daisy like flower is possibly rock lettuce. The daisy like one is possibly a wild aster or what I think they called Hierba del Marrano. The pink one is maybe a scarlet pea. Not sure of any of these, but loved your lovely photos anyway.

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    1. Thank you Yvonne, I'll check those out. When looking in books or online I often find I need someone to point me in the right direction first so I really appreciate these ideas on where to look.

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  3. I have always loved that sensitive briar, and would love to have one in my garden, too. When I was a child, I would walk to school by a garden that had one of these close to the walkway fence (thinking back, it was probably a weed in the back of the flower border). Anyway, I loved "petting" it and making the leaves curl up. I think I stopped every day just to see its magic. Loved its little purple powder puff flowers, too.

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    1. It is magic and the flowers are so pretty. I will just plant a few in a spot that's hidden so there will always be a few around.

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  4. Those unexpected wild spaces are a treasure, and good for you, bringing seed home to your own garden. It will take some of the sting from the day when the bulldozers arrive.

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    1. That's why I spend so much time documenting what is there and making sure some of it survives in my garden before it is paved over.

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  5. I like those kind of wild flowers! And I've never seen the flower of opuntia. How lovely they are! Thank you for sharing! Love your blog!!

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    1. It is pretty amazing, they only bloom for a short time each year.

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  6. What a fabulous selection you have growing nearby. They are all quite lovely. My favourite is definitely those Mexican Hat flowers though.

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    1. They are special and I will post on the ones I have established in my garden soon as well.

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  7. I did not recognize any of your unknowns - and we're so close! Good luck with your i.d.'s.

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    1. It's amazing what a difference there is just an hour's drive away.

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  8. I love the Mexican Hats- what great pics you got!!!! I didn't know what half of those were!!!! =0)

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    1. I know, thanks to Yvonne I have plenty of research to do.



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  9. Thats Awesome!! those are very pretty flowers!

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  10. I've never seen that Green Milkweed before--fascinating! And the Mexican Hat is stunning. It's great fun to see wildflowers in their native settings in other parts of the country and the world. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. I have successfully moved the green milkweed to the garden and look for another post on the Mexican Hats soon too.

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  11. I wuz moving milkweed vine around today... not the green, but with a brown flower... somehow, I missed getting a pic...

    Beautiful cactus blooms, nice switch from the yaller.
    Might need to get a pad from you... along with some of that poppy seed... Last time i saw some of those was back in the 80's or so... I actually collected some seed... but I wasn't in the right clime back then...

    You know, I'd have no probs bringing the prickly poppy to the garden, but that showy primrose? not a chance! It's not very polite.

    Beautiful flowers! Who forgot to tell me about this wildflower week, neway?

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  12. The National Wildflower Week goes on until tomorrow so you still have time.

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  13. Shirley how exciting to have so many wildflowers so near to you...My dream is to visit the Wildflower Center perhaps during wildflower week.

    I continue to add more wildflowers to my gardens here in NYS

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