Sundrops
Click for greater clarity.
Sundrops: a brighter and more compact name for Calylophus berlandieri than square-bud primrose, which is also in common use. I photographed this plant flowering along Great Northern Blvd. in north-central Austin on February 19. You saw a few of these flowers late last April as part of an expansive, mostly two-tone-yellow wildflower display, but this is the first closeup to appear here.
© 2013 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
Thank you so much for this little burst of sunshine :). I woke up to the aftermath of another big snowstorm, so this was a welcome sight in my inbox!
photosfromtheloonybin
February 27, 2013 at 6:23 AM
You’re most welcome, Cindy. I’m only too happy to share Austin’s warmth with you and any other spring-deprived folks in colder climes.
Steve Schwartzman
February 27, 2013 at 6:46 AM
What a beautiful sunny flower, and the blue sky is fabulous too. Perfect for brightening another dull February day here – thanks Steve!
Cathy
February 27, 2013 at 7:19 AM
So now this picture has brightened not only Ontario but Bavaria as well. Hang on, Northerners, spring is coming.
Steve Schwartzman
February 27, 2013 at 7:30 AM
We could use some color in London. For now, I’m staring at this beauty!
TBM
February 27, 2013 at 7:23 AM
Go right ahead and stare away, add England to the lands of gray.
Steve Schwartzman
February 27, 2013 at 7:33 AM
Nothing better than a pop of yellow to brighten your day – thanks for sharing:)
cravesadventure
February 27, 2013 at 11:04 AM
You’re welcome: yes to yellow for you.
Steve Schwartzman
February 27, 2013 at 11:23 AM
So pretty. I thought the leaves were quite different from our evening primrose, but they really aren’t.
I saw great clumps of yellow flowers yesterday along the highway, but didn’t stop. Now, after cruising through your site and Gary Regner’s, I’ve decided the only thing to do next time is stop. There are a lot of yellow flowers out there! (I’d guess coreopsis.)
shoreacres
February 27, 2013 at 6:24 PM
I saw more of these in a different place this afternoon. Lots of familiar species are already coming out in Austin, including firewheels, bluebonnets, four-nerve daisies, greenthread, southern dewberries, but no coreopsis yet. I’ve been springing into spring photo mode and already have more than enough pictures for the next two weeks of posts. So yes, do stop next time and see what fun spring wildflowers you find. Unfortunately some of the usual invasives are also showing up, but you can ignore them.
Steve Schwartzman
February 27, 2013 at 6:38 PM
[…] Calylophus berlandieri, a wildflower that you get a good look at here (and last year you got to see some of these flowers from below.) This plant commonly goes by the names square-bud primrose and sundrops; the former is more […]
Square-bud primrose flowers | Portraits of Wildflowers
May 24, 2014 at 6:01 AM