Tag: wildflowers

Posted on

10/12/2023 from home

Three stalls of liatris leaning against other plants and a green plastic pot. They are covered about half in purple flowers.
Liatris punctata var mucronata from home is finally in peak flower! It’s a bit horizontal because it’s near Briar’s favorite laying spot. Oops.
Small white asters on a scraggly-leaves branch
The heath asters aren’t as full as the local wild ones yet but they’ve started. This one hitched along with the liatris from home.
Posted on

10/05/2023 red list day

Today I walked outside for a break and saw a very boldly striped bee on the Maximilian sunflowers and thought to myself, “Self, that bee is different.” Turns out I was right! This beautiful lady is a Southern Plains Bumblebee! If I have counted and remembered correctly, this is our fifth bumblebee species for the yard.
This species is an IUCN red list endangered species. It is not federally listed so it has no legal protection in the United States, but it is declining and of great conservation concern. Briar was observing our exciting new friend with great attention.
Posted on

09/27/2023 rain refresh

The Salvia azurea from Missouri Wildflower Nursery had a second flush of blooms after the recent rain. The plant from TX did too. My young OK seed source plant is starting to bud but it’s still in a pot so not as big. Hopefully with three individuals now we’ll see some self-seeding!
Posted on

07/28/2023 surprise yellow flowers

I had assumed these tall plants were Gaura longifolia but they turned out to be Oenethera rhombipetala, four-point primrose! I did put seed out last winter. There are multiple plants! They are supposed to be self incompatible so hopefully they can reseed. (A few years ago I had just one plant come up and it didn’t reseed for that reason. This is from
new seeds.). I think they must bloom sometime after midnight but before 5am (my range of dog taking out times) because seed pods keep forming yet I only see spent flowers.
07/28 a flower done blooming was missing two petals.
07/28. The leaves.
A mystery plant in a small pot has turned out to be Ludwigia alternifolia! I collected the seeds locally because of its intriguing square seed pods. We have since planted the 4-5 plants near a rain barrel and a swamp milkweed plant, as it likes occasional moisture. The habitat I got it from was a dry wash leading to a lake, so I think it is pretty flexible in that requirement, but a wash definitely collects together more moisture than a flat open area. I believe Mom said she’s seen it in similar places. Happily, it is a perennial.