The Passion Flower not only has distinctive blooms, but when the flowers close up each evening they create an interesting textured “ball”.
Passiflora foetida - Passion Flower
Passiflora foetida – Passion Flower (closed)
Commelina erecta var angustifolia – Narrow-leaf dayflower
Taken in the springtime of 2011.
Commelina erecta var angustifolia - Narrow-leaf dayflower
Skeleton Leaf Goldeneye
The recent rains have invigorated this perennial.
Skeleton Leaf Goldeneye
Parralena – Dyssodia pentachaeta
Found by a field trip companion in the dry caliche next to an unpaved road.
Malvaviscus arboreus – Turks cap
Favored by hummingbirds and solitary bees, this lovely hibiscus-like flower (that never fully opens) does extremely well along a shady northern side of the house. Has not received supplemental watering throughout the drought.
Drought Defiant Gayfeather
There are relatively few plants holding up to the current drought and heat. One of these is Liatris mucronata, Gayfeather. Although not as lush as in previous years, this perennial still has attractive purple blossoms and has not wilted in the heat.
Drought
The San Gabriel River, shown here in late May, is certainly lower now than this barely wet gully.
And yet, Turks Cap, Tecoma stans (Yellowbells), and Gayfeather are blooming quite nicely despite the lack of rain.
Hello World
This is the first blog item of Return to the Natives. Basically it is a filler as I get to learn something about WordPress and how it works. In the meantime, it is a way to link to some native plant photos that are already up on Flickr until I learn how to set up individual photo pages or a gallery.
bob's brain: living well with a movement disorder and other comorbidities 