Part 1 of 2

I discovered Tabblos have a limit to size! Around the Miniature Lupine, the software got confused so this is now a two part effort. Part 2 is http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/edit/340151

This is a continuing project to record and identify the flowers we have seen on our land. Some are native and immigrant wild flowers; others are, well, weeds. The text will give addition information about the plants.

Our acreage is at 7500' in southern Colorado. Our normal rainfall is about 15" making us semiarid; this is Piñon-Ponderosa woodland. We live on a rock outcropping which helps to sequester water for plants and trees.

While I made this Tabblo public access, it is not being widely "invited". It is more of a reference page for us. Comments are welcome.

I am attempting to have at least two pictures of each species; one of the flowers and another of the plant.

The order of presentation is, essentially, the order of blooming.

Purple Mustard is an immigrant plant from Asia; nothing seems to eat it. We don't see this every year; it likes the wetter years.

While the purple flowers are attention getting, it isn't one of our favorites. When it dies, it leaves a stiff skeleton of stems.

We have Wax Currant Bushes under our trees everywhere. The bees like the flowers and birds and mammals like the red berries in winter.

The Plains Wallflower is the first of our flowers to bloom; wallflowers are a variety of mustard plant. It grows about a foot high. As you peruse these pictures, it will become obvious that most flowers up here are yellow and often mustards.

While I call this weed Crown of Thorns, I am still unsure of its identity, likely some kind thistle. This is the only specimen of this plant to ever grow up here, fortunately; this is the thorniest plant I have ever seen. Even the backs of the leaves had thorns! The seed for it probably came off the backhoe which dug our septic field since that is where it sprouted.

It grew to about a foot in height.

(OK. I was wrong; we have three more of them this year after a break of about 5 years!)

This is Alpine Pussytoes, a perennial creeping plant. It isn't very exciting but has proved very hardy. OTOH, I have not found any new plants of this species. It likes shade and moisture but even in drought, it survives. The leaves hug the ground and the flowers stand up a couple of inches.

This is, surprisingly, a member of the sunflower family!

I am making every effort to make this plant (left) extinct, at least on Valentine Ridge! Beggar's Lice (or, more accurately, Jessica's Stickseed) seed can get deeply into fabric and fur and hard to remove. Especially on Velcro strips! The tiny, faintly blue flowers develop into tiny seedpods with four prickly seeds. Which seem to have a high fertility rate and long dormancy. It can be 2" to 12" in height.

The Desert Parsley (below) is an unidentified variety but is in the Carrot Family and kin to celery. Some varieties are used for spices. This is a small, perennial plant with the flower stalks about 4" in height.

This is a Lousewort, very similar to Parry Lousewort, one of the four Colorado natives, but smaller. The species name is Pedicularis which are parasitic plants: they connect their roots to other plants' roots and steal nutrients.

They like shady areas under trees and grow to about 8" in height.

This is a Ligusticum (left), another member of the Carrot family. Our variety is a smaller version of Lovage, a medicinal plant. It grows about 6 inches high with red flower stems.

The plant below was an accidental discovery: I noticed a spot of blue in the background in one of the wallflower pictures. This looks like a Storksbill from the flower and leaves but the defining factor is the seed it makes; it has a long point on one side, like its namesake. This is growing under a tree but is more commonly seen along roads. This is not a plant native to the USA. I will revisit this later this year to verify the identification.

These two spindly plants are Arabis (also called Boechera) species; these are commonly called Rock Cress.  These are yet another member of the mustard family. Being almost nothing, they kind of disappear in the environment. There are 87 species of these plants, many of them in limited locales, mostly in California. They are perennials, some quite showy.

The blue one is likely a variety of Perennial Rockcress (Arabis perennans). It grows about 2 feet high. They aren't easy to see but along the stem below the flowers are things that look like narrow leaves; these are small bean pods.

There are dozens of the white Rock Cress, largely under trees. The picture of me holding the flowers up for the picture gives an idea how small they are!. The specie we have has drooping flowers which always face down. This seems to be a Lyrate Rockcress (Arabis lyrata) variety. It is also called Sand Rockcress. The seedpods are clearly visible in these pictures; more so than the real leaves!

This is the Stemless Evening Primrose (Oenothera Caespitosa). The big flowers belie the modest plant from which they grow. In a meadow, they look like tissue paper strewn about. They prefer full sun and grow less than 6" tall. In spite of the name, they don't close up in bright sun; the heat seems more of a factor.

This is one of our more prominent mustards, the Hedge Mustard (Sisymbrium officinale).

This is a European weed. It grows into thickets of stiff stems 2' to 3' tall. We pull them out or mow them.

This plant makes a good ground cover in moister locations like along eave drip lines and places where water collects. It is called Spreading Fleabane or a close relative; there are many similar species of Erigeron.  The Fleabane name comes from a belief that the ashes of the plant repel fleas. We may try this soon!

You can see the runners which allow this plant to spread over a large area. It only grows to about 4" and helps control erosion in our drainages.

No yard is complete without Common Dandelions (Taraxacum Officinale)! They don't thrive here but the yellow flowers are familiar and the butterflies and bees like them.

And the leaves are edible for salads. I've heard the flower heads can be used for making wine.

 This plant has several names: Fringed Gromwell (Lithospermum incisum) being the most common; others are Fringed Puccoon, Narrowleaf Gromwell, Narrowleaf Pucoon, Narrowleaf Stoneseed, and Trumpet Stoneseed. This in the Borage Family which includes the Forget-Me-Nots.

This plant is widespread on our land. The history is interesting: the Okla Native Americans used the roots to make a yellow dye; combined with pokeberry juice, a distinctive color called "Choctaw Red" resulted. The origin of the word "puccoon" I have not been able to ascertain.

This little plant is a variety of Bladderpod (Lesquerella gordonii), an inhabitant of dry places. They also called "popweed" from the noise the seedpods make when crushed. While they are annuals, we have lots of them.

As you can see, they have prostrate stems so get wider rather than taller.

This is a Sprawling Daisy (Erigeron Colo-mexicanus), a common plant in this area of the state and on our land. This is a biennial.

It doesn't very tall; up here less than 6".

This is one of the three cactii on our land. And the smallest. This pincushion cactus (Mammillaria)  "stands" 1" tall without the flowers. The flower triples the height!

There a lot of these little things all over, largely unnoticed except when blooming, like most cactii, after a rain.

Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja) was more common on our place before the recent long drought. I have only been able to find a few surviving specimens. These figworts are partially parasitic, drawing food from other plants roots. This is a tough neighborhood!

The flower is misleading: most of the red "petals" are bracts (modified leaves). The actual flower is the very top red petals. They obviously have a lot of nectar; hummingbirds hover over them regularly.

They grow about 6" or so high.

These Mullein, or Miner's Candles, aren't flowers at this stage. These biennials look like this for a year before they shoot up blooming stalks several feet in height.

Western Peppergrass (Lepidium Montanum) is rare on our land. I've only been able to find one specimen this year. The distinctive seedpods have been used as pepper. This is yet another mustard family specie, albeit a white flowered one.

These mallows are all over our land. While there are a hundred or so varieties of globemallows, this most closely resembles the Slenderleaf Globemallow (Sphaeralcea leptophylla) found in the desert southwest US. This small plant only grows about 4" high but the plentiful orange flowers stand out every summer.

This is in the hibiscus family along with cotton and okra. Some mallow roots have therapeutic value.

This is the Narrow-leaved Penstemon, a dry land perennial figwort. I added two pictures of the flowers because I think they are so pretty. The blooms fade from blue as they age, making them more purple.

This is White Locoweed (Oxtropis sericea), a member of the pea family. Bumblebees love the flowers; as you walk by a clump of these, the plant seems to be buzzing from the activity. It grows about 18" high.

Locoweed is toxic both due to an oil in the plant and its ability to concentrate selenium from the soil. Some animals still eat it; I watched a deer munching the flowers this year and cows don't seem to mind it, either. The name comes from its ability to make horses crazy but normally they wouldn't eat it unless desperate for food.

This is our only specimen of Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron rydbergia); it is over 15 years old. Only because I resist my wife's urgings to remove it!  It is in an out of the way place so there is no reason for anyone to make contact with it.

It never blooms or makes berries due to our climate. It essentially just survives from year to year, never really making a bush.

Yellow Salsify (Tragopogon dubius) is a member of the sunflower family. They have hollow stems, milky sap, and grow about 3' tall. There are three species of salsify in Colorado, one of them purple; this one is our only kind.

Horses love them! The seed heads look much like giant dandelion seed heads. When late summer breezes blow, the seeds can be seen floating away.

In trying to get a picture for this project, I discovered that the flowers open early in the morning when the sun rises. And apparently close as soon as they are pollinated!

Due to the size of this Tabblo, the software refuses to let  the Salsify seedhead image remain here. It is at the end of this Tabblo!

This is another mustard, the Tumble Mustard; this is a close relative to the Hedge Mustard above. Also known as the Jim Hill Mustard, it prospers in waste places, including along roads and RR tracks. Jim Hill was a RR magnate, hence the alternate name. They grow a couple of feet high and are a pest. This is a European weed.

Of the three mustards we have, this is the most interesting, largely due to the ferny looking leaves. This one is a bit shorter to a little over 2' and bushier in habit.

All the mustards are annuals.

This is a new flower to me: the Dwarf Mountain Ragwort (Senecio). Previously we had just lumped this yellow flower in with the marigolds which look similar. There are hundreds of varieties of senecios, all yellow.

These are perennials and grow to less than a foot. We have a lot of them, mostly in disturbed areas, like around the barn and in the horse pasture.

This is not a normal plant up here; these only appear in wetter years. We have two exuberant colonies of these in places where the mosses also prefer. I was unable to identify the exact species of Saxifrage this is; it resembles two others (there are a hundred or so): the Texas variety and the one which grows in Alaska and Michigan.

The tiny flowers appear at the top of slender stems 6" to a foot above the basal leaves.

This is another Puccoon, the Wayside Gromwell (Lithospermum ruderale). It is much less abundant than the Fringed Gromwall and less showy. It stands about 6" high. According to the manuals, this plant is only found on the western slope of Colorado.

I have found the meaning of "puccoon"; it is a Native American term for plants which yield dye, in this case, a purple dye from the roots of several gromwells.

Pricklypear (Opuntia) is another plant I am trying to make extinct. Without much luck; it is so widespread on our acreage, I feel it is growing as fast as I dig it! There are obviously two species; one has much more serious roots than the other. Unfortunately, I can't tell Fragile Pricklypear from Plains Pricklypear. The flowers are identical.

If you look closely, there is a honeybee buried in the flower in the picture below; when she came up for air, her pollen pockets were overflowing with pollen. While I was photographing this, I watched three species of bee (including a green one) actually fighting over cactus flowers! But they were so busy trying to run each other off, I couldn't get a picture!

I have been trying for years to identify this plant. I finally found out what it is! Kinda by accident while looking for another plant. It is a Cushion Cryptantha (Cryptantha circumscissa).

It grows about 8" high and the small flowers rest in a nest of fibers. Even though it is green, the impression on casual observation is of a gray column with flowers and fuzz on top.

Slender Greenthread (Thelesperma megapotamicum) has many other names: Rayless Thelesperma, Navajo Tea, or Hopi Tea. This plant grows all over the Southwest USA and is a native perennial. It grows about a foot high.

Yellow dye can be made from the flowers, and a rust-colored dye from the leaves. Native Americans, using a specific process involving flour sack threads, brewed a tea from the flowers and stems. It has several medicinal uses: considered useful for the kidneys, settles the stomach, purifies the blood,  cures gonorrhea, as a nervous stimulant, and toothache remedy.  Other uses include: dye for basketry and a textile dye. The active compound is luteolin.

The Prairie Evening Primrose (Oenothera albicaulis) is a relative of the Stemless Evening primrose above. The plant is taller with very similar leaves but the flower is only a fourth as wide. It prefers disturbed soil or open areas. They grow about 8" tall up here.

This is Prairie Cinquefoil (Potentilla Pensylvania). It is doing well this year but normally does not even bloom. Many years it gets attacked by a brown "rust" disease ( plant fungus) due to its weakened condition. This is a member of the Rose family. It is a perennial and grows about a foot tall.