A closer look at gaura
Click for better clarity and considerably larger size.
Here’s a closer look at one of the plants in the gaura colony that was flowering alongside the US 183 freeway on the overcast morning of April 2. The yellow-orange patches of color farther back correspond to a few interloping greenthread flowers, Thelesperma filifolium. I’m an interloper, too, from the species Homo sapiens.
© 2013 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
Pretty! I like how much the unopened tops make me think of asparagus. But I promise I won’t be eating gaura anytime before checking the safety factor, lest you become terribly worried.
kathryningrid
April 10, 2013 at 6:34 PM
You’re right, they do look like asparagus tops. I don’t know if they’re edible, so you’re wise to be cautious. I wouldn’t want to have a case of food poisoning attributed to me.
Steve Schwartzman
April 10, 2013 at 9:46 PM
Trust me, my friend: anyone who knows me would assume *I* was the dining dummy, never that someone else incited such silliness! 😉 (I *am*, after all, also ridiculously stubborn when I think I’m being told *to* do anything.)
kathryningrid
April 11, 2013 at 12:09 PM
Beautiful! I’m always amazed at the flowers in your area. What a place that is for one who loves wildflowers!
montucky
April 10, 2013 at 9:14 PM
These are among my favorites—but then what isn’t? Yes, we have tons of wildflowers here, so many more kinds than most people realize. I picked a good (and warm) place to live.
Steve Schwartzman
April 10, 2013 at 9:47 PM
It’s nice to see where the gaura I grow in my garden comes from. It would not surprise me if it escapes from the gardens in this area as it self seeds in the garden and I grew it originally from seeds I took from municipal plantings.
afrenchgarden
April 11, 2013 at 1:07 AM
Do you know what species of gaura your municipality used for its plantings?
Steve Schwartzman
April 11, 2013 at 5:20 AM
Unfortunately, I’ve no idea. This is a problem of growing plants from seeds with no provenance.
afrenchgarden
April 11, 2013 at 6:58 AM
That’s a good word, provenance. A couple of nights ago we watched an episode of a television series in which the hosts try to authenticate paintings whose owners believe they’re by famous artists. Understandably, there were many times in the show when the word provenance came up. And now our wildflowers are coming up.
Steve Schwartzman
April 11, 2013 at 10:03 AM
I like the connection!
afrenchgarden
April 11, 2013 at 11:05 AM
And those wildflowers are of undisputed provenance: the ground!
Steve Schwartzman
April 11, 2013 at 11:10 AM
I’d love to have this kind of flower alongside our freeways, it’s really beautiful ! And your photo is really beautiful too !
Inspired and pretty
April 11, 2013 at 8:04 AM
I’m glad you find the photograph pretty and are inspired by it.
The highway people sow flowers alongside some of the main roads here, but my guess is that this little colony of gaura sprang up on its own. The flowers are small and delicate, so you have to get close to appreciate them (which is why I followed up with this closer view).
Steve Schwartzman
April 11, 2013 at 9:59 AM
Beautiful!
Elisa
April 11, 2013 at 8:25 AM
Thanks, Elisa.
Steve Schwartzman
April 11, 2013 at 10:18 AM