Old plainsman buds

Above are some buds of old plainsman, Hymenopappus scabiosaeus, that I found at the Doeskin Ranch in Burnet County on April 8.

As a reminder of what old plainsman looks like when a colony of it flowers, here’s a picture from April 28, 2013, on the west side of Interstate 35 in far north Austin. The yellow-orange flowers are greenthread, Thelesperma filifolium, and the purple ones prairie verbena, Glandualaria bipinnatifida.

I visited that field a few weeks ago but found it much less spectacular this year. Not to worry: variations in floral intensity from year to year are normal. To worry: buildings have now covered parts of this field, and eventually all the land here is bound to get developed.

© 2016 Steven Schwartzman