Wildflower Wednesday

Ball Nipple Cactus, or Ball Cactus are mysteriously everywhere...and many times you dont even know they are there until they bloom. Once in a while i find a patch growing in the yard or field, and ill scoop them up and put them in my cactus planter...dont want the little one stepping on them. I found this batch growing in some weeds near a neighbors yard, and it had soooo many blooms on it i just had to take a pic. Its probably been there for years, and i only discovered it this time because of all the bright pink shining up at me among a field of green. :)

Common Harebell are very delicate purple bells. They grow on long skinny stems and seem to grow all over around here. I find them quite beautiful and they remind me of something a fairy might wear as a hat or dress! :)

Wildflower Wednesday

These are some of my absolute favorite wildflowers...Shooting Stars! I discovered these on one of my first trips up here, and sketched them in my sketch book so that i could look them up later. It took me a while to figure out what they were, and sadly, they never grew back in the place i originally found them. Then about 3 years later, i discovered them on the south side of the island in a nice sandy spot along the river, and they spring up there every year. These delicate little flowers grow straight up on a very thin stalk, and i find it amazing that such tiny flowers can survive in the wild the way they do. Arent they gorgeous!

These are called Yellow Sweet Clover, and we have bushes of them growing along the driveway and ditch.

Horsemint grows on the island, but they are blooming in large batches all over this year. This flower is very interesting close up and also one of my favorites!
Hope you have enjoyed this weeks Wildflowers :)

Wildflower Wednesday

Another batch of wildflowers...This first shot is a blanket flower, and they grow along our driveway. I have these planted in my garden, so i was surprised to see them spring up in other parts of my yard :)

This next one is a bit of a guess, but i believe it is called European Milfoil. Very small delicate white flowers, with beautiful greenery.

and finally, Smooth Aster...rather abundant in these parts, but lovely just the same!

Meanwhile, i hope to blog about some quilty stuff soon! cheers~

Wildflower Wednesday

These have recently sprung up everywhere, the Narrow-Leaved Penstemon. They are part of the figwort family. (meaning, they look very similar to many other figwort family flowers)

I have been looking for these...we had two at the end of our driveway, and i was very excited...then about a week later, 10 more popped up. These Mariposa Lilies are very beautiful in person!

Ive been told these are Golden Tickseed...they have sprung up all over the mountainsides, adding color to a normally brown rocky landscape. The splashes of yellow all over the mountains are quite a refreshing change! The rain has certainly brought about some lovely new colors this year, and i love it :)

Wildflower Wednesday....uh...i mean, Thursday!

Okay, so i skipped Wednesdays posting of wildflowers, but i have a good excuse...i was in town all day shopping for Jordyn's birthday presents. Been a long time since i was at a Toys R Us, so i had a ball checking out all of the cool new toys (and even some of the old school toys) that they had.
But in honor of the Wildflower Wednesday, i decided to post these photos i took on my way thru Wyoming last week for our camping trip. Every year we drive by these gorgeous flowers that grow on the side of the gravel road...and i have no idea what they are....anyone recognize them?
This is what a bush of them looks like......

and they arent all pink, some are this color...

And this is a shot of the curious cows wondering what i was doing crouching down on the road with my camera...

Anyways, i would LOVE to know what kind of flowers these are, and if i can transplant some to my yard...so if you know what they are, please let me know!
Have a fabulous day!

P.S. The flower has been identified by my friend Lisa over on Facebook...
Veiny Dock Plants ~ Wild Begonia......Thanks Lisa!!!

Wildflower Wednesday

More wildflowers for you today, before i take off to go camping. This is from the wild rose family, Prickly Rose. These bushes are very thorny, but the flowers are lovely.

Western Chokecherry...these flowers will transform into chokecherries and become a cordial or jam (as long as the bear doesnt eat them all)...we have several bushes all over the property.

These delicate little flowers are called Musineon. You have to look at them very close to appreciate their beauty.
Well, im outta here for the 4th of July Weekend...hope everyone has a fun holiday!

Wildflower Wednesday

This lovely white flower with paper thin petals is called a Boulder Raspberry. They are very prevalent up here.

This unusual looking thing is called a Spotted Coralroot. Its actually a parasite that grows out of fungi, and its an orchid. "Several Native American groups historically used the stems dried and brewed as a tea for such maladies as colds, pneumonia, and skin irritation."(Wikipedia)
I dont find these often on the island, but was lucky enough to find one last week, and snapped this shot.

These are Leafy Cinquefoil, and they are popping up all along our driveway

And last, though not a wildflower...i thought you might like to see one of our new bees from the hive enjoying some of my garden chives.
Happy Wednesday!

Wildflower Wednesday

Since there are sooooo many wildflowers to photograph, i thought i would include several each Wednesday, instead of just one :) The first photo is a Scarlet Paintbrush, or more commonly known as Indian paintbrush. I remember seeing these on a hike in the 6th grade, and theyve always remained a favorite of mine.

This is Kinnikinnik and their blooms are very tiny...the foliage, however is very attractive. This grows all over the island and along our driveway.

and finally, Early Larkspur...these delicate looking flowers grow all along our driveway, and are very pretty.

Wildflower Wednesday of the Rocky Mountains...

I thought it might be fun to collect and share photos of the wildflowers in my area...and with all this rain we are getting, i should have quite a selection to show you. This Wednesdays Wildflower is the Golden Banner (or Golden Pea). It grows all along our driveway and randomly out on the island behind our house. It is always a welcome to see this flower, as it is one of the first to bloom in our area. (that is if you dont count the dandelions :)
Happy Wednesday!