Flowers!

[sun_star_n_moon]

I was actually a bit inspired by rafqa’s post about the flowers in her yard. I actually don’t have flowers in my yard, but a lot of the local wildflowers are in bloom right now. So I thought I would do a post about them!!

Comments

[rafqa]

What an amazingly beautiful post! Would you consider unlocking it, at least for a little while? I can hardly believe the variety, although, if I think back to all the tiny things that used to bloom around here, there were many different kinds, some of which you had to look carefully for. But not that many. What a landscape to live in the midst of-- I hope it lasts forever

[sun_star_n_moon]

I unlocked, at least for a time. Ill probably go back and relock it eventually.

Yep! We have holly! My grandmother also has a holly tree in her yard, but I don't think it's a wild sort of holly. The stuff that grows by the creek only grows in small little tufs.

Gosh. We *always* have lupines. Every years. They come out in gobs.

The exhibit sounds cool. We do hvae tons of flowers up here. My Grandmother was big into botany and actually identified and discovered a unique flower on the ranch. (I have no idea which one it is though)

Im sad that I had to leave off one of my favorite flowers out of the post. I don't know it's proper name, and its not out yet, so I don't have a pic, but its a very pretty sort of desert lilly.

[rafqa]

I wonder what lupines like-- the water, maybe, or the cold? We used to have a lot more of them, when we had areas which were much more undisturbed. I didn't even walk all the way down our path this year to see if any came up, because it's getting a bit strenuous for my mom.

On one of the prettiest hill areas, which is now largely destroyed, there used to be lots and lots of lupines, mostly purple, but there was one kind of secluded place where we would see pale yellow ones.

I didn't see any California poppies-- do you have those?

I hope there'll be a sequel, with the lily and your grandmother's flower!

[sun_star_n_moon]

We do have California poppies! But not directly right here on the ranch. Its a bit dry and rocky right here for them. But on the other side of the valley where its not a desert, they like to grow. So I still see them around quite often.

I think sequels are in order. There are a bunch of flowers I realize I left off. Im still waiting on my desert lilly to come out though! Fingers crossed!

[dark_phoenix54]

What a beautiful post! Thank you for sharing it.

The holly with the yellow flowers is actually Mahonia, aka Oregon Grape, a North American native plant. It's rock hardy (unlike the Ilex, true holly, that the English get to enjoy) and beautiful.

I suspect that the white, four petaled flowers with the big yellow stamens may be some kind of Oenothera, evening primrose. Can't see the leaves well enough to be sure.

I've never seen a stand of wild white lupins; how lovely and special!

[sun_star_n_moon]

Awww, my holly isnt really holly? Oh well. It will always be holly in my heart.

You mean my sand flowers? I have another pic of them you can see here? Ive never considered them being a type of primrose, but that makes sense!

http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt56/roxicons5/23.png

[dark_phoenix54]

Ah, looks like it might be Oenothera caespitosa. Is it fragrant after dark?

It isn't a true primrose (primula); I'm not sure how they got the name 'evening primrose'!

[sun_star_n_moon]

No. Not after dark. The flower usually closes up when its gets cool (such as at night) and then reopens during the day. But it smells lovely when its open.

[nancytoday]

Your indian paintbrush is different from ours. Ours is orange with few flowers. The one after your lupines is st. johns wort. I commented that on the wrong post.