Yellow Owl-Clover
Charming little plants when in flower: like candles in the grass, with crayon-yellow flames. Orthocarpus luteus
Nodding Onion
To my considerable relief, the nod of the Nodding Onion is distinctive, and I can assert with some confidence that this is Allium cernuum. And since I have not yet had occasion to use the word “umbel”–and who wouldn’t want to use the word?–I will add this note: an umbel is a form in which…
Mariposa Lily
If Harebells are cute and Sugarbowl clematis is sweet, the word for this flower is elegant. Calochortus gunnisonii We’ve called these Sego lilies for two decades, but with this bloom-a-day-in-July project I’ve been cross-examining my assumptions while delving into a wider range of wildflower resources. Evidently, what we have here (in large numbers, right now)…
Shorthorn Spurge
Euphorbia brachycera Although it resembles the pernicious invasive Leafy spurge, this little native is smaller and exhibits better manners. Some guides use the common name “Horned spurge,” but I think the “Shorthorn” version is more winsome. Up here, the plants grow to seven or eight inches tall, and tend to be solitary rather than forming…
Yucca
If you’re looking for contrast, look to the yucca: fat, buttery-looking flowers paired with sharp leaves that, believe me, will elicit a defensive yelp at the slightest inadvertent brush. The yucca demand attention in other ways, too. Their flowering has been fabulous, and I assumed I had plenty of time. I admired the display on…
Mountainspray
A little evanescent froth for these dry mountains: the blooms on these shrubs are dramatic while they last, but they don’t last long. Holodiscus dumosus: a bush that knows how to play with light.
Lambert’s Locoweed
While Silky locoweed blooms early, with thick clusters of white and palest lavender flowers, this Oxytropis blooms later and louder, and with slightly more airy spacing between the flower spikes.
Fendler’s Sandwort
If ever the word “spangle” is to be applied to a western wildflower, surely this is the one. Multitudes of little white flowers on wiry stems spangle the grasslands (or, if you prefer the noun form of the word, that works too: little white flowers like spangles in the grass). Eremogone fendleri For many years…
Sugarbowl Clematis
Clematis hirsutissima Like the Harebells I featured last week, Sugarbowl are turning up in clusters, an unexpected abundance. I appreciated that this particular plant also shows off the seedheads, which are a delight in themselves. The flowers make me smile whenever I see them, whether they’re in a bunch or just one.
Slender-Tube Skyrocket
I shouldn’t have been surprised when I discovered, in researching this post, that the common names “Skyrocket” and “Gilia” refer to more than one species of plant. The genus name (as I’ve recently learned) is Ipomopsis. You’ll often see populations of Scarlet Gilia as red spikes jutting out of the bare dirt of road cuts…