Texas Flowers

All colors of the rainbow are found in Texas flowers at Big Bend NP, Lost Maples SA, Seminole Canyon SP, Balcones Canyonlands NWR, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Texas Bluebonnet - Lupinus texensis (Pea Family - Fabaceae)

Honey Mesquite - Prosopis glandulosa (Mimosa Family - Mimosaceae)

Guayacan or Soapbush or Texas lignumvitae - Guajacum angustifolium

(Creosote-Bush Family - Zygophyllaceae)

Rough Nama, Sand Bells - Nama hispidum (Waterleaf Family - Hydrophyllaceae)

Tree Tobacco - Nicotiana glauca (Potato Family - Solanaceae)

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False Day Flower - Tinantia anomala (Spiderwort Family - Commelinaceae)

Guajillo or Thornless Catclaw - Acacia berlandieri (Pea Family - Fabaceae)

Texas Persimmon - Diospyros texana (Ebony Family -Ebenaceae)

Texas Buckeye - Aesculus glabra (Horse-Chestnut Family - Hippocastanaceae)

Mexican Buckeye - Ungnadia speciosa (Soapberry Family -Sapindaceae)

Scarlet Leather Flower - Clematis texensis (Buttercup Family -Ranunculaceae)

Scarlet Leather Flower

Tropical Sage - Salvia coccinea (Mint Family -Lamiaceae)

Green False Nightshade - Chamaesaracha coronopus (Potato Family -Solanaceae)

Antelope Horns - Asclepias asperula (Milkweed Family -Asclepiadaceae)

Prairienymph - Herbertia lahue (Iris Family -Iridaceae)

Prairie Beard-tongue - Penstemon cobaea (Figwort Family -Scrophulariaceae)

Evening-Star Rain Lily - Cooperia drummondii (Lily Family -Liliaceae)

Evening-Star Rain Lily

Candellia or Wax Plant- Euphorbia antisyphilitica (Spurge Family -Euphorbiaceae)

Resurrection Plant or Flower of Stone - Selaginella lepidophylla
(Spike-Moss Family -Selaginellaceae)

This is a desert plant that grows rapidly after rains, but curls up into a dormant ball
when it lacks moisture.

The references and gear I used for this blog are:
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon EF100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM
Camera: Canon EOS 10D
Lens: Canon EF28-105mm F/3.5-4.5 II USM
Steiner 10x42 Predator Binoculars
The SIBLEY Guide to Birds
Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America
Kaufman Focus Guides - Butterflies
Butterflies through Binoculars The East
Butterflies ot the Great Lakes
Caterpillars of Eastern North America
Caterpilliars in the Field and Garden
Peterson Field Guides: Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Native Plants of South Texas

All images © MSCI

From Green to Colors

Wow! I can't believe it is already October and its more than two months since I last published anything in my "green" series. Funny, I am not thinking about green, now, as the summer days are gone! Rather, I am watching the fall colors and doing fall activities: eating orange peaches and yellow pears, blue plums; watching my green tomatoes ripen to orange and then red; picking red raspberries and eating the first red apples of the season. Some maples are showing orange and red; the arrowhead and pickerel weeds in the lake are turning orange and brown; in the fields, soy beans and corn are turning yellow and brown; yellow goldenrod is blooming everywhere; purple New England asters are growing along the roadsides and the skies are bright blue on a cool fall day.

Even on my trip this spring, green was not the only color I noticed....

After visiting Big Bend NP, we drove east to Lake Amistad NRA. Here it rained for 2 days. The result was that the ocotillo actually sprouted leaves in just a few days. Even when I am not in Texas, I am fascinated by this plant. I hope you will put the flower as wall paper on your computer for awhile.

Ocotillo - Fouquieria splendens (Ocotillo Family - Fouquieriaceae)




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If you are looking for color, you can usually find it everywhere. I always enjoy lichen on rocks.

Dead Tree

Oak Tree blossoms

Canadian Bigtooth Maple

The references and gear I used for this blog are:
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon EF100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM
Camera: Canon EOS 10D
Lens: Canon EF28-105mm F/3.5-4.5 II USM
Steiner 10x42 Predator Binoculars
Peterson Field Guides: Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Native Plants of South Texas

All images © MSCI

Cactus Flowers

Cactus greens, yellows, purples, oranges, reds ...

Near the end of our stay in Big Bend NP, the cacti were starting to bloom. Here are some of my photos.

Blind Prickly Pear buds

Blind Prickly Pear

Blind Prickly Pear flower turn orange with age

Purple-tinged Prickly Pear buds

Purple-tinged Prickly Pear

Purple-tinged Prickly Pear, spines are 4 inches long

Purple-tinged Prickly Pear

Purple-tinged Prickly Pear

Rainbow species

Hedgehog species

Christmas Cholla with red fruit

Cane Cholla with yellow fruit

Engelmann's Prickly Pear

Engelmann's Prickly Pear

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The references and gear I used for this blog are:
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon EF100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM
Camera: Canon EOS 10D
Lens: Canon EF28-105mm F/3.5-4.5 II USM
Steiner 10x42 Predator Binoculars
Peterson Field Guides: Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Native Plants of South Texas

Cactus Green

Cactus greens, purples, yellows...

Of course there are lots of cacti growing in the Chihuanhuan Desert of Big Bend NP. I was surprised at the colors of the plant and at the number of different species, more than in any other park. On top of that, the various species of prickly pear cacti hybridize with each other, so you sometimes can't tell at which species you are looking. So, in general, I have identified the following photos with my best guesses.

Cactus grow every where, where it can get a foothold. It needs some soil and some moisture, and it doesn't have to be very much.

Chisos Mountains from Dugout Wells
with Engelmann's Prickly Pear in front

Blind Prickly Pear

Blind Prickly Pear

Blind Prickly Pear

Pitaya or Hedgehog cactus

Pitaya or Hedgehog cactus

Spiny-fruited Prickly Pear 75 feet up

Spiny-fruited Prickly Pear found only in Big Bend NP

Spiny-fruited Prickly Pear in the setting sun

Purple-tinged Prickly Pear

Purple-tinged Prickly Pear, spines are up to 4 inches long.
I measured it!

Engelmann's Prickly Pear

Engelmann's Prickly Pear

Pineapple species

Prickly Pear with yellow spines in Chisos Basin

None of these photos show the cactus in bloom. When we arrived in Big Bend NP, it was too early but near the end of our 2 week stay, some cacti were blooming. See next blog.

The references and gear I used for this blog are:
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon EF100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM
Camera: Canon EOS 10D
Lens: Canon EF28-105mm F/3.5-4.5 II USM
Steiner 10x42 Predator Binoculars
Peterson Field Guides: Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Native Plants of South Texas

Orange to Yellows

From Orange to Yellows:

Globemallow - Species unknown (Mallow Family - Malvaceae)

We have come full circle in colors but I had to show you my yellow wildflowers, too, though 3 of these photos are not wildflowers but rather tree flowers. (Did you know that most trees have flowers?)

The little yellow-orange balls on the Huisache are so cute. The white-yellow flowers on the Blackbrush really look like the bottle brush that I use to clean the hummingbird feeder. The flowers of the live oak were food for a huge flock of Red-winged Blackbirds.

Beach Evening-Primrose - Camissonia cheiranthifolia (Evening-Primrose Family - Onagraceae)

Blackbrush or Chaparro - Acacai rigidula (Pea Family - Fabaceae)

False Dandelion - Pyrrhopappus pauciflorus (Aster Family - Asteraceae)

Live Oak - Quercus fusiformis (Beech Family - Fagaceae)

Prickly Sow-thistle - Sonchus asper (Aster Family - Asteraceae)

Rough-pod Bladderpod - Lesquerella lasiocarpa (Mustard Family - Brassicaceae)

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Huisache - Acacia farnesiana (Legume Family - Leguminosae)

Dogweed - Dyssodia pentachaeta (Aster Flax Family - Asteraceae)

Coastal Plain Tickseed - Coreopsis gladiata (Aster Family - Asteraceae)

Neuces Coreopsis - Coreopsis nuecensis (Aster Family - Asteraceae)

Scarlet Pimpernel - Anagallis arvensis (Primrose Family - Primulaceae)

The references I used for this research are:
Texas Wildflowers by Campbell and Lynn Loughmiller
Peterson Field Guides: Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Native Plants of South Texas

Orange to Blues

From orange to Blues:
When I was in 5th grade, I received my first set of Crayola colored pencils, a set of 8 colors. There, in that plastic case, were the colors of the rainbow and I could not stop looking at these incredible colors. They were also my tools for creating beautiful pictures. To this day, I want to capture the rainbow colors everytime I see them, only now, I try to do this with the camera.

Subconsciously, this love of color, is the reason why I started taking photos of flowers on this Texas trip. I saw the oranges first but the color that captured my eyes everytime, were the blues. When I was doing my identification research for these photos, I noticed that Texas thinks it owns this blue color. 5 of these flowers are named Texas something. I looked in my Michigan wildflower book, and there are only 2 pages with blue flowers. So I guess Texas does have something to brag about and the blue color of the spiderwort is incredible.

Yellow Flax - Linum rigidum (Flax Family - Linaceae)

Blue-Eyed Grass - Sisyrinchium dimorphum (Iris Family - Iradaceae)
This vivid blue catches your eyes everytime, everywhere

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Texas Spiderwort - Tradescantia humilis (Spiderwort Family - Commelinaceae)
What a beautiful color!

Texas Vervain - Verbena halei (Verbena Family -
Verbenaceae)

Guayacan or Soapbush or Texas lignumvitae - Guajacum angustifolium (Creosote-Bush Family - Zygophyllaceae)

Texas Baby Blue Eyes - Nemophila phacelioides (Waterleaf Family - Hydrophyllaceae)

Purple Dalea - Dalea lasiathera (Pea Family - Fabaceae)

Blue curls - Phacelia congesta (Waterleaf Family - Hydrophyllaceae)

Berlandier Lobelia - Lobelia berlandieri (Bellflower Family - Campanulaceae)

Texas Bluebonnet - Lupinus texensis (Pea Family - Fabaceae)

Scarlet Pimpernel - Anagallis avernsis (Primrose Family - Primulaceae)
Blue-flowered form of Scarlet flower.
Also known as Poor Man's Weather Glass because the flowers close
when rain is approaching.

Stay tuned for the final color, yellow, in this wildflower series.
(PS I still own a set of Crayola colored pencils today.)


The references I used for this research are:
Texas Wildflowers by Campbell and Lynn Loughmiller
Michigan Wildflowers in Color by Harry C. Lund
Peterson Field Guides: Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Native Plants of South Texas

Orange to Pinks, Purples

From Orange to Pinks and Purples: Most of these flowers I have never seen. The pink and purple colors are just stunning.

Velvet Lantana - Lantana velutina (Verbena Family - Verbnaceae)
The flowers start as white with a yellow throat and
then turn lavender or pink as they age. (aging beautifully!)

Scarlet Beeblossom - Gaura coccinea (Evening-Primrose Family - Onagraceae)
Flowers are white in the evening and darken to pink and, finally,
to scarlet by noon on the next day. (Guess what time I saw them?)

Pink Evening Primrose - Oenothera speciosa (Evening-Primrose Family - Onagraceae)
Another evening-primrose that varies from white to pink

Pink Wood Sorrel - Oxalis corymbosa (Wood Sorrel Family - Oxalidaceae)

Globemallow (Mallow Family - Malvaceae)

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Drummond Phlox - Phlox drummondii (Phlox Family - Polemoniaceae)

Wine Cup - Callirhoe involucrata (Mallow Family - Malvaceae)
I am driving along the road and see a few flowers in this incredible
purplish color. The flower petals can be harvested to produce a bright red dye.

Meadow Pink - Sabatia campestris (Gentian Family - Gentianaceae)

Bull Thistle - Cirsium horridulum (Aster Family - Asteraceae)
You won't believe it until you see this flower,
but it is more than 3" in diameter.
Insects love the nectar and flowers will bend
to a light touch like from a bee.
Large animals will eat the flower if they can avoid the spines.

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Cenizo - Leucophyllum frutescens (Figwort Family - Scrophulariaceae)
This was taken mid-afternoon just after the rain quit.
(In Texas that rain was just a fine mist)

Purple Ground Cherry - Quincula lobata (Potato Family - Solanaceae)
The yellow fruit of this plant is edible and used to make preserves.

Rough Nama, Sand Bells - Nama hispidum (Waterleaf Family - Hydrophyllaceae)

The references I used for this post are:
Texas Wildflowers by Campbell and Lynn Loughmiller
Peterson Field Guides: Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Native Plants of South Texas

Orange to Whites

From orange to whites -- I did not notice the white flowers as much as the reds or blues (probably because white is not a color). When I did, most often, it was a flower where some feature caught my eye, and it always was one that I had never seen (except yucca and pricklypoppy). Even the names of these flowers are new to me. (You would think that I would recognize all the names from all those westerns I have read.)

Plains Blackfoot - Melampodium leucanthum (Aster Family - Asteraceae)

White Pricklypoppy - Argemone albiflora (Poppy Family - Papaveraceae)
The white-colored sap from this plant is poisonous, so livestock will leave this plant standing and eat everything around it.

Lyreleaf Parthenium - Parthenium confertum (Aster Family - Asteraceae)

Crow Poison, Yellow False Garlic - Nothoscordum bivalve (Lily Family - Liliaceae)
This flower grows from a bulb.

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Texas Bullnettle - Cnidoscolus texanus (Spurge Family - Euphorbiaceae)
Some people are allergic to the milky sap from the stems
and to the stinging of the hairs.
(take pictures and don't touch)

Salt Pennywort - Hydrocotyle bonariensis (Parsley Family - Umbelliferae)
This plant has interesting leaves and grew at the edge
of my campsite at Galveston State Park.

Anacahuita, Mexican Olive - Cordia boissieri (Borage (herb) Family - Boraginaceae)
The fruit is edible and is used to make jelly
and a cough medicine in Mexico.

Guajillo or Thornless Catclaw - Acacia berlandieri (Pea Family - Fabaceae)
with a butterfly - Hackberry Emperor - Asterocampa celtis
Too much of the leaves and fruit is toxic to livestock and causes
"guajillo wobbles" in the legs of sheep and goats.

Torrey Yucca - Yucca torreyi (Century-Plant Family - Agavaceae)
This has to be one of the most interesting plants in the south,
because I take pictures of it everytime I see it.

The references I used for this post are:
Texas Wildflowers by Campbell and Lynn Loughmiller
Peterson Field Guides: Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers
Kaufman Focus Guides: Butterflies of North America by Brock and Kaufman
Butterflies through Binoculars: The East by Jeffrey Glassberg
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Native Plants of South Texas

Stay tuned for doses of pinks and purples soon.

Orange to Reds

I am home from my Texas trip and have been reviewing my images. (1,300+ in-focus)

I have never seen so many wildflowers along Texas roads and in the parks as this spring. I heard some people complaining that there was lots of rain this winter. (good for flowers and me)

I have finished squeezing my oranges (48 lbs) and will show you doses of orange to reds, blues, yellows, whites, pinks, purples. The colors of the flowers made me want to stop every moment for another picture to try to capture the fields of paintbrush, which appear orange from a distance; the gorgeous red of the heartleaf hibiscus; the shape of the coral bean, and to gather and play with its beans; interesting fruit of the cactus, and to pick and eat them like strawberries.

Yellow Flax - Linum rigidum (Flax Family - Linaceae)

Indian Blanket - Gaillardia pulchella (Aster Family - Asteraceae)

Texas Paintbrush - Castilleja indivisa (Figwort Family - Scrophulariaceae)

Coral Bean - Erythrina herbacea (Legume Family - Leguminosae)

Coral Bean seed pods - Erythrina herbacea (Legume Family - Leguminosae)

Heartleaf Hibiscus - Hibiscus martianus (Mallow Family - Malvaceae)

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Heartleaf Hibiscus bud - Hibiscus martianus (Mallow Family - Malvaceae)

Christmas Cactus fruit - Opuntia leptocaulis (Cactus Family - Cactaceae)

Since I had 6 years of Latin in highschool and college, I really should use it! (I do think this study has always helped me in reading)

The references I used for this post are:
Texas Wildflowers by Campbell and Lynn Loughmiller
Peterson Field Guides: Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Native Plants of South Texas

Stay tuned for doses of whites soon.