Author Archives: RobertKamper

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Echinacea purpurea – Purple Coneflower

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Echinacea purpurea - Purple Coneflowewr

Echinacea purpurea – Purple Coneflowewr

 

This is a pretty shaggy specimen of a Coneflower, with a couple of ants crawling about the petals, but here it is October and nominally outside its blooming period (April-September) and it has just recently bloomed.

I’ve made a tea from the leaves of the passion flower vine, but I haven’t actually made Echinacea tea, although I’ve had tea with Echinacea in it.  Yet.

In years previous, I’ve had some pretty healthy looking Purple Coneflowers, but this year they seem to have lagged a bit. It has been a year to remember for being off the norm. Or perhaps it’s a year in which a new normal is being established.

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Oxalis drummondi – Drummond’s Woodsorrel

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Here we are again with two phtos of Oxalis drummondi, Drummond’s Woodsorrel. This time there is a deliberate intent to get a shot of the woodsorrel’s distinctive leaves, as well as a shot of the blossom with its pinkish to purple color accented by striations of green leading down into the cup of the trumpet shaped flower. There is quite the little colony of these dainty little beauties along the side of the gravel path, almost to the point of aggressiveness…but not quite.

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Gaillardia aestivalis var aestivalis – Prairie Gaillardia

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Gaillardia aestivalis var aestivalis - Prairie Gaillardia

Gaillardia aestivalis var aestivalis – Prairie Gaillardia

 

Although this Gaillardia is indeed a native to Texas, and was photographed next to Gaillardia pulchella, the familiar Indian Blanket or Firewheel, this particular specimen is located at the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. It is found mainly in the coastal states, in dry, sandy soils. So I would guess in Texas it would be familiar along the Gulf Coast, while this Florida native was next to the Atlantic Ocean.

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Oxalis drummondii – Drummond’s Woodsorrel

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Oxalis drummondii - Drummond's Woodsorrel

Oxalis drummondii – Drummond’s Woodsorrel

This modest little flower is a native volunteer that just showed up in the yard this year. It has the distinctive leaves of a woodsorrel, but which one I didn’t know until I looked it up at http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=OXDR. That’s one of the pleasures of having a wildscape garden – the diversity of plant life that just “happens” from year to year. The photo above was chosen because it happens to include the leaves at the bottom of the photo, which aids in identification (although in this picture, not so much).

A slightly more aesthetically pleasing photo, but without the leaves, appears here:

Oxalis drummondii - Drummond's Woodsorrel

Oxalis drummondii – Drummond’s Woodsorrel

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Bothriochloa laguroides ssp torreyana – Silver Bluestem

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Bothriochloa laguroides ssp torreyana - Silver Bluestem

Bothriochloa laguroides ssp torreyana – Silver Bluestem

This not an attempt to create an artistic effect with photography – this is the result of a grossly overexposed photograph which one tried to recover or save using the “Enhance” menu in Photoshop Elements. On the other hand, it does appear somewhat like a watercolor filter effect. The Silver Bluestem grasses are blooming these days, and their distinctive seedheads are a distracting sight as one drives along the highways and byways. And with so many options available on a digital camera, it doesn’t cost too much to experiment with exposures and timings.

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Asclepias sp – milkweed

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Asclepias species - Butterfly Weed

Asclepias species – Milkweed

When I called the local nursery I specifically asked if they had Asclepias tuberosa, Butterfly milkweed…and they said yes. What I found was this, which as it turns out is most likely Asclepias currasavica, Tropical or Mexican Milweed.  That was last year, and they have managed to survive, and even to have been visited by Monarch Butterflies during their migrations.

Although I generally post species that are native to Central Texas and Williamson County in particular, an exception has been made here for the educational possibilities.  First, even though you ask for a species by name, you may not get that species, especially if  the plants are poorly or not labelled. Second, it’s probably best to ask to see the Texas Natives if you go into a nursery. That way you’ll find out just how aware the staff are of Texas Native plants and if they possess any knowledge in addition. Finally, its for good reason that one of the common names for Asclepias tuberosa is Orange Milkweed – the flowers are orange, not red and yellow.

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Anisacanthus quadrifidus var wrightii – Hummingbird Bush

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Anisacanthus quadrifidus var wrightii - Hummingbird Bush

Anisacanthus quadrifidus var wrightii – Hummingbird Bush

Also known as Flame Acanthus, this post goes with the Hummingbird Bush appellation because that’s what has been appearing in the yard lately. I believe that they are Black-throated Hummingbirds. Apparently this is the time for migration for these little feathered jewels.

wildflowers , , 2 Comments

Proboscidea louisianica – Devil’s Claw

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Proboscidea louisianica - Devil's Claw

Proboscidea louisianica – Devil’s Claw

 

Can’t tell you how pleased I am that this plant, which has popped up in the greenbelt behiind the fence, is a native rather than an exotic or invasive. According to Enquist, this is an occasional plant of roadsides and wastes., common only in Mason County. The seeds apparently attach themselves to bypassing animals, thus spreading and propagating the species. Apparently the seed pods were used for food by various native tribes of the Southwest, as well as plant fibers which were used for weaving. The plant has a rather strong unpleasant odor, which means that the photograph is more pleasant than the taking of the photograph.  Ajilvsgi recommends it for the xeriscape garden, if there is room. It blooms from June to September, usually only a few flowers at a time.

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Bouteloua gracilis – Blue Grama

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Bouteloua gracilis - Blue Grama

Bouteloua gracilis – Blue Grama

Blue Grama is one of several native grasses that is being pushed as a native turf alternative to St. Augustine or Bermudagrass.  It grows in bunches and forms mats. Hairy Grama is similar in appearance, but has a “stinger” at the end of the seedhead, which Blue Grama lacks.

This particular specimen was photographed alongside the curb, where I have tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to establish Buffalograss between the sidewalk and the curb. I’ve used the Blue Grama seed to attempt to fill in the patchy spots that the Buchloe dactyloides seems to be prone to.

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Bouteloua rigidiseta var rigidiseta – Texas Grama

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Bouteloua rigidiseta va rigidiseeeta - Texas grama

Bouteloua rigidiseta var rigidiseta – Texas Grama

Texas Grama is a weedy grass, often a sign of disturbed soils. It grows on dry plains, rocky hills, and overgrazed land throughout all of Texas except for the northeast. This particular specimen was photographed in Burnet County, although it is common in Williamson County as well, the home base for this blog. Texas Grama also goes by the aliases Bell Grama and Mesquite Grass, showing once again that you just can’t depend on common names. So Bouteloua rigidiseta will continue to wave its bell-shaped seedheads in the wind, providing aesthetic pleasure to those who pay attention.