Purple wood-sorrel

In my back yard on September 8th I found this little purple wood-sorrel flower (Oxalis drummondii). When I say little I mean maybe five-eighths of an inch (15mm) across.

(Yesterday at Muir Woods National Monument in California I saw plenty of redwood sorrel (Oxalis oregana), though none of it was flowering.)

© 2016 Steven Schwartzman

Why I’d gone back to the prairie

On September 28th I went back to the new street in Manor called Wildhorse Ranch Trail to see how the snow-on-the-prairie was coming along on the Blackland Prairie since my last visit exactly three weeks earlier. I found that most of the Euphorbia bicolor plants had produced their fuzzy little tripartite green seed capsules, as you see here. In the background is part of the flowering mound of broomweed, Amphiachyris dracunculoides, that dazzled you last time (I hope you won’t mind if I put words in your mouth).

© 2016 Steven Schwartzman

Another kind of sumpweed

Do you remember the picture of narrowleaf sumpweed from a few weeks ago? We have a second species of Iva in central Texas, Iva annua, known as annual sumpweed. On September 28th I found some growing in a hollow in a dense mound of broomweed, Amphiachyris dracunculoides. The location was along a new street called Wildhorse Ranch Trail in Manor. All the land there is getting developed, but in the meantime I’ve visited several times and taken lots of pictures.

Now you can say to your friends: “I’ve a picture of Iva.”

© 2106 Steven Schwartzman

Sand cherry

Did you know that cherries are in the same genus as plums and peaches? ‘Tis true, and that genus is Prunus, a word you recognize as the source of the prune that is a dried plum. Here you see some flowers of Prunus pumila, known as sand cherry, that I found at Illinois Beach State Park on June 9th.

© 2016 Steven Schwartzman

Ceanothus herbaceus

Yet another wildflower from Illinois Beach State Park on June 7th: Ceanothus herbaceus, called prairie redroot and Jersey tea. This species grows in Austin, too, even if I’ve rarely gotten to see it there. (Speaking of Austin, I’m far away from home now, so I may be slow in responding to comments.)

© 2016 Steven Schwartzman

Dense snow

At the risk of snowing you under, here for the third post in a row is a view of snow-on-the-mountain, Euphorbia marginata. Again from September 29th along TX 46 in Comal County, this view emphasizes the chaos of details when plants farther back are seen through the spaces in the closer plants. Notice also the complementary red in all those stalks.

© 2016 Steven Schwartzman

Snow-on-the-mountain panorama

Click for larger size.

From September 29th along TX 46 in Comal County here’s a panoramic view of snow-on-the-mountain, Euphorbia marginata. The many little yellow flower heads are broomweed, Amphiachyris dracunculoides.

© 2016 Steven Schwartzman

To bee or not to bee…

When is a bee not a bee? When it’s a fly masquerading as a bee and presumably gaining protection against predators that would fear the sting of a real bee. Thanks to Bill Dean, via BugGuide.net, for identifying this syrphid fly as a male Copestylum tamaulipanum. Today’s picture, which is from August 30 along US 183 in Cedar Park, also gives you a pleasant glance back at the flowers of Euphorbia marginata, called snow-on-the-mountain because of its white-margined bracts. For a zoomed-in look at the syrphid fly, click the excerpt below.

© 2016 Steven Schwartzman

Monarch report

On Interstate 10 near Sonora, some 200 miles west of Austin, suddenly there were plenty of monarch butterflies flying about.

UPDATE: We continued to see migrating monarchs for the next 50–60 miles.

A touching portrait

In contrast to yesterday’s image, here’s an in-focus view of Liatris mucronata, known as blazing-star or gayfeather. You’re looking at details of two flower spikes pressing one against the other.

Like the last two posts, this one is from the prairie in Pflugerville on September 28.

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Beginning today we’re headed west on a driving tour, so you’ll understand if posts thin out and replies to comments take longer than usual.

© 2016 Steven Schwartzman