Wildflowers Galore!

April 21, 2010
L^3
2:20-5:00

I am absolutely loving this weather! It was 74 degrees with clear skies with some and a light air. Any whoos, WiLdFlOwErS!

Notes:
Wildflowers are tied to the region in which they reside
It helps to have a check list to classify different characteristics of the flowers
Books can categorize the flowers by colors or family
Family categorization is the best way to classify wildflowers because it narrows the list down by specific characteristics

Dr.T had us look at two different types of wildflowers before we went off on our own. They turned out to be a Prairie Verbena (pg 214) and a Bladderpod (pg 107).


Prairie Verbena
small purple flowers in a cluster
fanned leaves
close to the ground

According to Wildflowers of the Western Plains the Prairie Verbena is a characteristically a low, much-branched, hairy perennial wildflower. The flower petals are umbrella like and range from pink to purple. It is a very abundant flower.


Bladderpod
4 petals
long stem
long thin leaves
close to ground
early blooming annual spring flower

WWP: It is an early-blooming annual spring flower and has horizontal stems that curve upward. The leaves alternate on the stem. The petals are in clusters of 4 and are characteristically yellow. It is a part of the Mustard Family (Crucuferae (Brassicaceae)).

From there we went on to find a multitude of other wildflowers some of which were difficult to identify.


Tansy Mustard (pg 106)
4 yellow petals that make a cross
small flower petals
tall stem
thin, multiple leaves

WWP: An annual with several stems growing from the base and branching above. The stems and leaves are grayish-green in color with small hairs. There are 6 stamens and 4 petals forming a cross-shaped structure. Blooming period: February-June.

Notes
The Daisy is an iconic flower of the Compositae Family that consists of Daises, Sunflowers, and the Aster Family. Compositae means that the flowers are made of more than just one flower. the petals are ray flowers and the center consists of disc flowers.


Wild Onion (pg 148)
long stems
white petals pointing upwards (6)
yellow in middle- 6 stamen

Notes
Closely resembles "Crow-poison" but when observed at a closer range one can tell the differences. The Crow-poison can range in height from 4-15 inches and the Wild Onion from 4-9 inches. The W.O. produces an onion smell when crushed whereas the Cp. does not have a distinct smell.

WWP: The Wild Onion is a part of the Liliaceae or Lily Family. Each bulb (usually found in pairs) produces a solitary hollow scape that has an umbel of 10-25 flowers. Each flower in turn has 6 stamens, 1 pistil, and 6 spreading petallike perianth parts. Color ranges from white to a deep pink.

Side note
I always used to see these flowers around the elementary school that I would ride my bike around. My parents taught be that they were called "Onion Flowers" and that when you broke them that they would smell like an onion-very true. Needless to say, when we saw them at the Landmark, I was pleased to be able to identify at least one wildflower on my own that day.


Scarlet Globe Mallow (pg 161)
Mallow Family
pale orange petals (5)
relatively large petals
clusters of buds

Note
It was very difficult to decide if these flowers were Scarlet or Orange Globe Mallows. The way we finally figured it out was to compare the pictures and descriptions in our books to the actual flower we were looking at. We decided it was the Scarlet because the stamens form a column through which the 5 (or more) styles emerge. Also, the leaves are shallowly lobed at the basal end with a much longer mid lobe and they range from 3/4 inches to 2 1/2 inches long.


Scrambled Eggs (pg 114)
tubular flowers
4-14 inches tall
leaves are pinnate
bright yellow flowers

WWP: Scrambled Eggs are a part of the Bleeding Heart Family which characteristically have 2 tiny sepals, 4 petals, and 6 stamens. The S.E. have 2 minute sepals about 1/8 inches long. The upper petal has a saclike spur at the base and is slightly incurved and blunt on the end. The flowers grown in a spikelike arrangement.


Puccoon (pg 15)
pale yellow flower
5 petals
thick, tall stems
flowers have a "feathery" appearance
base of flowers are tubular
multiple stems

WWP: The Puccoon is a member of the Boraginaceae Family also known as the Borage or Forget-Me-Not Family. The basal leaves usually dry up before the plant blooms. The stems can reach 1 foot tall and the leaves get smaller as they come up the stem towards the flowers. There are 5 united sepals and 5 petals united to form a 5-lobed tube that flares at the end. These plants bloom twice in a season the first time with a pretty yellow that "shows all but won't grow" because the blossoms are sterile and the second time with "no show but will grow" tiny blossoms that produce fertile seeds. In my opinion, we saw the flowers in their first bloom because of the size of the blossoms.


Wreath Aster (pg 49)
small white flower petals (lots)
Compositae family
small leaves
stems covered with minute hairs
appearance of a daisy

WWP: Stems are much branched and can either be erect or bent over. The plant can reach a height between 1 and 3 feet. There are many crowded smaller leaves at the base of the longer leaves. There are numerous flower heads on the upper portion of the stalks with each flower has 15-18 white ray flowers about 3/8 inches in length. This type of wildflower lives in grasslands and dry lands-perfect for Lubbock.


Yellow Daisy (pg 78)
tall, thin, redish stems
yellow petals (around 12)
orange center
thin green leaves at the base
3 notches in each petal

WWP: The leaves on this perennial plant alternate up the stems and are crowded basally and are also linear in position. Each flower has 12-25 yellow ray petals and each is 3-toothed. The disk flowers are also bright yellow and fertile. The Yellow Daisy grows best in rocky/ gravelly hillsides and canyon breaks in the Western Plains.


Bitterweed (pg 78)
almost exactly like the Yellow Daisy just the petals are more spread apart
it categorized with the Yellow Daisy and therefore the notes above apply to this wildflower as well


Pink Paintbrush (pg 200)
member of Snapdragon family
grows in clusters
shaggy hairs

WWP: The Pink Paintbrush is perennial herb that grows from 4 inches to 1 foot in clusters. The shaggy hairs on the leaves give the plant an almost woolly look. The flower is subtended by 3-5 lobed floral bracts which are broader and shorter than the leaves. The bracts are tinged with pink or red and are covered in fine hairs. The flowers are in dense spikes standing out from the bracts.


Unknown
thin stems
thin leaves
tiny flowers (5 petals)
white/blue coloring on petals
relatively short

My guess
The Dwarf Senna (pg 145) because the description says: it is a small flower that grows only 3 inches tall at its maximum. There is only 1 flower per stalk and each flower has 5 petals. It blooms in May and June on rocky hillsides and pastures. The only thing that made me unsure if this was the right flower was that the flowers we saw had blue and white coloring yet it never mentions that and the description says that they are a pale yellow.


This was a good introduction into the world of identifying wildflowers and I enjoyed it more than identifying birds. Most likely because I am more of a mammalian-liking kind of person and therefore birds do not hold my interest as much. They are very majestic and entertaining to watch and I admire most of the species but I have enjoyed learning about wildflowers.