Wildflower Wednesday March 2014: More of these please!

It's the fourth week of March and time for Wildflower Wednesday when I join Gail at Clay and Limestone and other bloggers to highlight flowering native plants in our gardens.  For March I'm featuring plants growing naturally around my area and native to South Texas that I'd like to see become established in my garden.

Last spring I discovered a small stand of Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) along the creek behind the house.  Pretty and delicate with bright blue blooms in the spring, I was so pleased to find this native member of the iris family growing naturally just a foot or so over the property line.

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.
 

Our "Outback"

You've seen the creek that runs along my backyard and might be wondering...what's across the creek?  It's a utility easement with a vacant field beyond.  Boring?  Well, that depends on whether you see native plants as wildflowers or weeds.  This area is surprisingly undisturbed given all the development around here and I enjoy searching for and observing native plants back there.  Commercial development is moving this way and soon this spot will be under a parking lot or building.

Here are a few photos of the plants and butterflies I found on a recent walk to see how the plants are rebounding from our long drought.

Black Swallowtail butterfly heading to a small blue flower I can't identify yet

 
Prairie Phlox which I will try to collect seeds from.  This is the first time I remember seeing the phlox here.

  
This Pink Evening Primrose is interesting because a bug apparently bored through the bud and creating round holes in each petal.  Almost looks as if someone used a hole punch on it.

Gulf Fritillary butterfly on Prairie Verbena, the verbena has been especially beautiful this year.

So far things are looking really good back there this year.  I don't remember seeing any swallowtails or fritillaries last year so it was encouraging to see the wildflowers and butterflies returning to this area after two years of really rough weather.