Wildflowers at the Landmark

April 28, 2010

L^3

2:20-5:00

The following week, we went back to Lubbock Lake Landmark to identify and learn about even more wildflowers. This time I remembered to bring my camera so I was able to take pictures of all the flowers!

Evening Primrose (pg 172)

"butter cup"

yellow (4) petals

hairy stem
8 stamen

WWP: Appears shrubby and can range between 4 and 18 inches in height. The stems are stout, hairy, and many-branched from the ground. The sepals are streaked with red in the bud stage but upon blooming, the petals are bright yellow.

Feather Dalea (pg 136)

long stems

multiple leaves

small purple flowers

WWP: It is a shrub that stands 1-3 1/2 feet tall. The branches have bark that is a dark gray coloring. The flowers grow in clusters on short spikes (2-10 in a cluster). The calyx has feathery lobes 1/4 inch long and grayish-white in color. The corolla is a vivid rose-purple. Feather Dalea is a shrub that usually grows in colonies on hills.

Threadleaf Groundsel (pg 90)

14 yellow slender petals

almost looks like a bush

lots of stems

stems look "squishy"

numerous leaves

WWP: Perennial with several spreading stems from the base that branch towards the top. It grow 1 1/2-3 feet tall. The stems are covered in numerous small hairs. There are 6-8 slender yellow ray flowers per flower. The Threadleaf Groundsel prefers drier areas of the Western Plains.

Spiny Aster (pg 81)

multiple, yellow, pointed petals

orange center

small "spiny" leaves

max of 20 inches tall

WWP: Another member of the Compositae family, Spiny Aster is a rough plant, branched in the upper part and covered with minute hairs. Each leaf has a bristle tip on each tooth. Both the disc and ray flowers are bright yellow and there can be 20-30 ray flowers per flower.

Unknown

long stems

5 yellow petals (maybe 6)

sporadic leaves on stem

multiple leaves around flowers
flowers have tubular bases
resembles a Puccoon but petals are different

Notes

To try and figure out what this was, I first looked in the Solanaceae family because of the discription of 5 fused petals but I was unsuccessful. Next, I checked in the Snapdragon family and found the Pink Plains Penstemon which appears to closely resemble the plant we found but the coloring is white and pink, not yellow. I still am unsure of this wildflower's classification.

Fleabane Daisy (pg 62)

daisy family

yellow center

thin white numerous petals

4-12 inches tall

buds and bottoms of petals have magenta coloring

WWP: Short-lived perennial. Many narrow oblong to lance-shaped leaves, less than 2 inches long. Numerous flowers heads each with 30-70 white ray flowers, very straight and narrow. Fleabane Daisy prefers sandy soils and open plains.

Purple Ground Cherry (pg 208)

potato family

flat, purple flowers

4 connected petals

low growing

WWP: The stems and leaves are sparsely covered with microscopic bubbles that have a crystalline look and texture. The flower petals are a blue-purple shade and are flat and wheel-shaped. The flower has 5 stamens and yellow anthers atop purple filaments.

Studying flowers again was fun but my favorite part was seeing the baby Horned Lizard as we were walking back to the class. It was adorable, and as I said before, I love animals so it made it all the more exciting. Also, I have never gotten to see a Horny Toad before and am therefore truly ecstatic about this siting. We were able to capture multiple shots of it and I was even able to touch it. Yay!