Last one 😻 I tried to crop a tolerable quality pic of the Bladderpod so you can see the veryyyyy rotund seeds it has! Remember, it's a Brassicaceae buddy, so their standard seeds are lil green bean lookin' things, sleek siliques or silicles. This guy's a weirdo (and for that, we love him) { 1-2, 6 } Missouri Bladderpod (Physaria filiformis) { 3 } Gum Bumelia (Sideoxylon lanuginosum), which has a million common names-- I just like this one because it sounds like some type of gumbo when you say it out loud. We have just two members of Sapotaceae in Arkansas, one of them being this funky little shrub. { 4 } hmmm idk what you call this commonly, prairie Larkspur or whatever (Delphinium caroliniana), which was not quite this purple IRL-- I promise it's not D. tricorne haha { 5 } That One Valerianella™️ { 7 } Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), technically kind of invasive but it's native to the US { 8 } Falcate Orangetip :) { 9 } rly bad Wafer Ash (Ptelea trifoliata) photo, another sun-loving glade/bluff friend { 10 } crinoid fossils!! ancient sea lily creatures
Aloha Monday! Mahina Lāʻau Kamaʻāina is just about finished and it was wonderful seeing all the posts supporting our native flora. It was also great to interact with everyone at the events PEPP attended this month! Mahalo for coming out to learn about our program and hopefully spreading awareness of plant conservation 💚 We must also say e kala mai for the lack of posts on our part this month! Apart from field work and outreach events, our team has been preparing for the upcoming @centerforplantconservation 2024 National Meeting. We'll be heading to San Diego to learn from other CPC partners as well as present our program's efforts through the USFWS Recovery Challenge Grant. We're excited about this opportunity and can't wait to hear about everyone's work throughout the country. If anyone else is attending #CPC2024 please stop by our two posters and lightning talk on May 2nd! (We'll have stickers!) Image Credits: Lobelia oahuensis: Joshua Serrano Hāhā; Cyanea rivularis: @plantsrboring @scott.heintzman Diplazium molokaiense: Hank Oppenheimer Hāhā; Cyanea stictophylla: @erin__dat #plantextinctionpreventionprogram #PEPP #nativeplants #rareplants #rareplantconservation #botany #botanizing #plantconservation #maytheforestbewithyou #longlivethenatives #ʻaʻoleextinction #alohaʻāina #biodiversity #malamaʻāina #ecosystem #ecosystemrestoration #maukatomakai #oneteamonedream #resistextinction #EarthOptimism #nativehawaiianplantmonth #mahinalaaukamaaina
Patterns of abundance in natural plant communities inspire much of what I do. While these are relatively short-term phenomena, they can deeply inform #plantingdesign in natural gardens. Gardens, on the whole, in ecological terms, are relatively ephemeral. In #yournaturalgarden, your greatest impact is on life here and now. So while there's nothing purely predictable about how any of the plant species in these photos occur today, we can infer and interpret why grow like they do and apply that to situations we encounter in more horticultural/landscape settings. It's provocative and confounding, but that's part of the joy and the reward of the process. 🌱 on a more promotional note, all of these Mojave plant communities are organized around creosote (Larrea tridentata), the charismatic shrub species that forms a backbone of desert southwest vegetation. If you're eager to learn more about shrublands and how to translate them into horticultural forms, I hope you'll join me May 21 for our next Planting Forward conversation with @timetamelt and @michael_guidi. Their bombshell book Shrouded in Light from @filbertpressuk is a must-read. We'll dive into it and more! You can register today at the link in my bio! #naturalgarden #newnaturalism #botanizing #landscapephotography #planthunting #planthunter #plantexploration #desertbloom #resilientlandscapes #resilientgarden #morethanturf #planting #ecologicalgarden #naturalgarden #ecologicalgardening #gardendesign #nativeflora #nativeplants
Botanica represents our commitment to the field of plant ecology. 🌿 We work with a variety of plants for nourishment, beauty, and regeneration, pairing our expertise in the field of ecological land care practices with the visions and lifestyles of our clients all over Southern New England.
Magnificent trees of Boston Public Garden (part 2): 1-5: Katsura Tree from Japan (look at its roots!😊) 6-8: Himalayan Birch from Nepal 9-10: Green Ash #katsura #katsuratree #bostonpublicgarden #magnificenttrees #treesofinstagram #botanizing
° Род Горянка = Эпимедиум = Бесцветник (Epimedium) к настоящему времени включает более 50 видов. Вид Горянки на фото я пока не смогла определить, а покупала её как Горянку колхидскую, но это явно другое растение. Семейство Барбарисовые (Berberidaceae) ° #мойсадсегодня #мойлюбимыйсад #mygardentoday #botanizing ° 28 апреля 2024
Florida pygmy pipes! (𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘺𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘦) Endemic to Florida (found nowhere else in the world), and endangered, these plants are incredibly rare! Back in December 2023, I went with my friend and fellow botanizer Leif (@whenleifgivesyoulemons) to a roadside spot in Ocala National Forest. The air was crisp, we spotted a family of bears crossing the road just after exiting our vehicles, and there was plenty of trash (including a mattress and golfcart battery) littering the trail. Doing our best to scour the underbrush, we managed to find a few plants here or there. Dew was still covering their freshly opened flowers. After much more searching, Leif found a plant under a bush. After I examined it more closely, I realized more were hiding under the leaf litter! A total of about 30 or so were clustered under the leaves (last pic). They smell like cloves (or clove cigarettes, if you've ever smelled a fresh pack of those). You'll notice that these plants lack leaves and chlorophyll. This is because they are mycoheterotrophs, which means that they actually get their nutrients from a subterarrnean fungus. These fungi apparently associate with oak trees, so in a way, the pygmy pipes get their energy from the photosynthesis that the oak trees do. They are in the blueberry family (Ericaceae), which becomes clear when you see the undersides of the flowers (pic 5/6), well, if you've ever seen a blueberry flower! #pygmypipes #monotropsis #monotropsisreynoldsiae #ghostpipe #ghostpipeplant #indianpipeplant #florida #floridanativeplants #floridanativewildflowers #beauty #nature #naturephotography #botanizing #botanize #plants #mycoheterotroph
Magnificent Redwoods of Boston Public Garden: 1-4 Giant Redwood 5-10 Dawn Redwood Last 2 photos of a squirrel collecting mulch at the giant roots of dawn redwood! #giantredwoods #redwood #bostonpublicgarden #magnificenttrees #treesofinstagram #botanizing #sequoiadendrongiganteum
One day. You can see all of this - and so, SO much more - on one spring day in coastal South Carolina. The southeast is a treasure trove of biodiversity, but it only stays that way if we care about it. 📸 (1) Small Coastal Plain Spreading Pogonia, Cleistesiopsis oricamporum 📸 (2) Rose pogonia, Pogonia ophioglossoides 📸 (3-4) Color variations in yellow pitcher plants, Sarracenia flava 📸 (5-6) Wetland habitat variations 📸 (7) Bladderwort, tentatively ID'ed as Utricularia striata but I have a hard time telling it apart from U. gibba 📸 (8) A carpet of sundews, which I believe are Drosera intermedia 📸 (9) Small floating bladderwort, Utricularia radiata 📸 (10) Sweet pitcher plants, Sarracenia rubra, under a powerline right-of-way -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #backyardecology #botany #botanyphotography #bladderwort #botanizing #conservation #coastalplain #carnivorousplants #charlestonsc #ecology #ecologist #francismarionnationalforest #flowers #habitat #longleafpine #lowcountry #naturalist #nature #nativeplantsofthesoutheast #nativeorchids #nativewildflowers #nativeplants #orchids #orchid #pitcherplant #sarracenia #sundew #scdnr #southcarolina #therealsoutheast
𝘔𝘶𝘤𝘶𝘯𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴 subsp. 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘢 is a common and widespread vine in the Philippines, often confused with the much more often seen #mucunapruriens but, for casual observers, differing largely by its pods (which weren't in development yet at the time the photo was taken). #purple #mucuna #mucunahainanensis #mucunahainanensissubspmultilamellata #botanizing #plantsinthewild #plantsinsitu
Penstemon albomarginatus, the white margined beardtongue! It’s been such a treat to survey for this very rare (CRPR 1B.1) desert penstemon! This species is only known from a few very disjunct populations in California, Nevada and Arizona and their population sizes are often very small. Many of the occurrences that I was surveying consist of between 1 and 5 plants, and often is just a single individual. This obviously makes this species vulnerable to local extinctions. It has a pretty specific habitat of deep sand in stabilized sand dunes and sand sheets. It is well adapted to life in the sand, and in good rain years like this one, can send up copious inflorescences! I had one plant that had over 150 inflorescences!! I can’t think of any other Penstemon that is as floriferous! Despite its ability to send up tons of beautiful flower displays and had pleasant flowery smell, it doesn’t seem to be much of a pollinator magnet, as I only saw 2 bees on the flowers the whole time. This, coupled with the distance between plants may account for its lack of high viable seed production, as we didn’t encounter a single seedling. It did still seem to have some pretty good phenotypic variation though! The flowers on a few plants were a very deep hot pink, while most others were a much paler, but beautiful coloration. Flower size seemed to vary a bit too. Being a good year, any plant that can be up seems to be, and I was able to locate a bunch of new individuals and even a couple new occurrences! So there is still hope that the population sizes are bigger than they seem, just that the plants are spread out over a huge area. What a fantastic species this is! #penstemonalbomarginatus #penstemon #Whitemarginedbeardtongue beardtongue #rareplants #desertwildflower #botany #botanizing #plantsmakepeoplehappy #ecology #mojavedesert #californianativeplants #nativeplants #nativeplant
Ramps are popping! Ramps / Wild Leek / Allium tricoccum = same plant w/ many names. Ramps need to be protected, replanted, and if harvested, to do so with care and consciousness toward these ends. Ramps take time to develop: production from sowing seed to root harvest can take 5 to 7 years. They are slow growing Native American perennials of the “onion family’ who are endangered in some regions. If you find a well-established colony, harvest should be less than 5% of the plants. Another recommendation is to harvest only one leaf from several mature plants. This approach leaves the roots intact so the plants are not killed. My handful of ramp leaves was harvested in this manner. I encourage those of us that are able to plant this lovely, tasty friend so we can regenerate this resource, since zealous harvesting may cause it to become endangered. If you can, plant seeds as they mature later in the season (see last photo) to create new patches. And if an area is super abundant and ramp congested, thin it a touch and dig up by the root to replant and create more abundance. I'll preserve these ramp leaves in salt making a kind of bouillon to eke out through the year. More about + recipe for making old school bouillon here: https://bit.ly/3nhC2o4 or DM us for the link #Ramps #AlliumTricoccum #SpringForaging #Foraging #WildEdible #WildFood #ForagingAndFeasting #InTheWildKitchen #WildFoodHealthBoosters #DinaFalconi #Botanizing #PlantIdentification #SustainableHarvest #Garden #DIY
Confession: my favorite part of the Bladderpod glade was actually the Glandularia, another unfortunately named plant. Rose Vervain is practically a "weed" in the sense that it's common and grows basically anywhere-- including places that barely have soil, whether that's a glade, a bluff, or the side of a highway-- but as a native plant, it's a productive member of the ecosystem. Pollinators adore it, especially butterflies, and in most years it blooms basically half the year. I've seen them flowering in February and I'm not surprised there are still hordes of them up as we nearly enter May. It smells delightful to a human nose, too. And of course, it's beautiful, even more so when you stumble upon a population that's dappled in a multitude of shades: warm pinks, cool purples, and everything in between. I wish I could re-visit after all these rains to see the fallen petals; they're pretty even when they're on their way out. It's hard not to admire a plant that grows in such stark conditions yet blooms so vibrantly and extensively.
Gray hairstreak sipping on clasping milkweek. #pollinators🐝 #butterflies #milkweek #claspingmilkweed #nativeflora #louisinanativeplants #inaturalist #wildgeography #botanizing #kisatchienationalforest #usfs #forestservice #natgeoyourshot #naturephotography #winnparishla
Lesser Wintergreen (Pyrola minor), of the Heath Family (Ericaceae) This little guy grows in moist, shady environments in northern latitudes throughout the world. Like all species in its subfamily (Pyroloideae), P. minor is a mycoparasitic mixotroph. It produces sugar by photosynthesis and also steals sugar from mycorrhizal fungi. Cute little sugar thief! #botany #botanizing #wildflower #wildflowers #nativeplant #nativeplants #wintergreen #pyrola #ericaceae #grandtetons #wyoming
Diplacus mohavensis, the Mojave monkeyflower! I managed to catch this species just as the sun was setting! This rare little desert monkeyflower is one of the strangest and most unique flowers in California. The black hole like flower is unlike anything else. I’d love to know what pollinates it! The plants stand just a few centimeters tall, so no large insects are going in that hole. This species only shows up during good rain years, and only shows up in numbers in great rain years like this one! This area of the Mojave is just absolutely covered in great annual numbers and diversity. It’s been so lovely to be down here in the Mojave the last few days. I still have so many more things to share from this beautiful land! #Diplacusmohavensis #Diplacus #mojavemonkeyflower #mojave #mojavedesert #wildflowers #desertwildflowers #plantsmakepeoplehappy #plantsofinstagram #botany #botanizing #flora #rareplants #plants
I love desert ferns! ID update: Myriopteris covillei, formerly known as Cheilanthes covillei, thanks to @westwind_ferns Up close it looks like the top of the frond is covered in tiny green beads, so cool! Zoom in on the first slide to see. One lone Creamcup flower was growing amongst the clump in the second slide, and the last slide shows the underside with the spores forming. #fernfriday . . Ancestral lands of the Pueblos, Ndee/Nnēē: (Western Apache), Hohokam peoples. . . #cheilanthes #cheilanthescovillei #myriopteriscovillei #myriopteris #cheilanthoideae #pteridaceae #lipfern #fernfronds #pteridaceae #xericfern #desertfern #ferns #fernsofinstagram #desertflora #botany #botanizing #weswiesaz #macroandflora #macrophotography #desertplants #sonorandesert #macro_mood #tontonationalforest #macroworld #naturephotography #nature_brilliance #tucson
Penstemon petiolatus Petiolate Beardtongue/ Crevice Beardtongue Plantaginaceae PEPE G2 Imperiled I was finally able to see this beautiful penstemon! I was so fortunate to find a single bloom! These are limestone loving plants. They grow in the cracks of Redwall limestone. These plants can be hard to reach because the limestone is extremely sharp! (Roughed up my hands pretty good to get pics!) Found at the meeting point of Utah, Nevada and Arizona, this species isbmostly knowm from the extreme northwest poing of Arizona, the southwestern most corner of Utah, and southern Nevada. Penstemon petiolatusis globally listed as imperiled (G2). It faces various risks, such as habitat disruption or destruction of limestone cliffs caused by road construction or expansion, population effects due to seed gathering in certain areas, and recreational disturbances from rock climbing. Was able to see these in Beaver Dam Conservation Area. 04/23/2024 #utahbotany #utahflora #southernutah #southwesternbotany #WIDFLOWERS #endangeredplants #rareplants #DESERTFlOWERS #FLORAOFUTAH #UTAHNATIVEPLANTS #desertflora #BOTANY #BOTANIZING #penstemon #penstemonpetiolstus #beaverdam
A beautiful Desert Rosemallow. Hibiscus coulteri . . . Ancestral lands of the O’odham Jeweḍ, Sobaipuri, Tohono O’odham, Hohokam . . . #desertrosemallow #mallow #hibiscuscoulteri #malvaceae #hibiscus #springwildflowers #flower #azwildflowers #wildflowerwatch #wildflowers #wildflower #botany #botanizing #azflora #nature #naturephotography #nature_perfection #natureflowers #macro #nature_brilliance #macrophotography #explore_nature #flowersandmacro #macro_captures #macro_nature #macroandflora #weswiesaz #divine_deserts #sonorandesert #tucson
Selfies with Pasque flowers and Dirca too! It’s starting to look like spring and with the fresh scent of Epigea in the air the native flora of our region is emerging and I couldn’t be happier to share these moments with good plants friends! . . . #plants #plantsofig #horticulture #nativeplants #thatgrowsinmichigan #botanizing #hiking #optoutside #spring #springtime
Spotted today on Winter Road (adjacent to the vanished Cole Cemetery), Western Wallflower (Erysimum capitatum). The headwind on the ride home got the better of me, and I finished my 20 miles at a dwindling pace. 1663 miles #2024 #meandonneuring #cycling #botanizing #wallflower #erysimum #brassicaceae
wildflower of the day 🌱 🆔 bashful wakerobin (trillium catesbaei) . . . #ephemeral #wildflowers #wildflowersofinstagram #flora #forestflowers #nationalnativeplantmonth #botany #scnativeplants #botanizing #forestbathing #forestfloor #tinyworld #wildflowerwednesday #nature #hikingtrails #earthing #perennials #floweroftheday #flowersofinstagram #plantsofinstagram #trillium #southeast #wildfloweroftheday #pollinatorgarden #forest #woodlandwalks #explore #mountainflowers #forestfinds #momswhohike
🧡 Desert Mariposa Lily, Calochortus kennedyi 🧡 . . . Ancestral lands of the O’odham Jeweḍ, Sobaipuri, Tohono O’odham, Hohokam . . . #desertmariposalily #calochortuskennedyi #mariposalily #calochortus #springwildflowers #flower #azwildflowers #wildflowerwatch #wildflowers #wildflower #botany #botanizing #azflora #nature #naturephotography #nature_perfection #natureflowers #macro #nature_brilliance #macrophotography #explore_nature #flowersandmacro #macro_captures #macro_nature #macroandflora #weswiesaz #divine_deserts #sonorandesert #catalinastatepark #azstateparks
Sedum uniflorum is an endemic Japanese succulent which grows predominantly on sea cliffs in the Ryukyu islands and southern Kyushu. It was originally described in 1838, but was only recently elevated to species rank in 2018. It was an absolute delight to find this little green gem clinging to the jagged rocky crags along the coast of Amamioshima this week. #botany #fieldbotany #botanical #botanizing #planthunting #planthunter #japan #japaneseplants #flora #floraofjapan #japanflower #japaneseflora #wildjapan #wildflowers #japanesewildflower #日本 #日本の花 #amamioshima #amamiisland #奄美大島 #sedum #sedumuniflorum #succulentlove #wildsucculents #succulents #succulentobsession #sedums
Sometimes you just encounter numinous, awe-inspiring moments in the field that defy description or depiction. Here are three attempts to chronicle one such moment from this past weekend's impromptu desert ramble with @davidtheplantguy and @kimberlyj515 in Death Valley. Pick your favorite. 🌱 These images are odes to the magic of Mojave Desert scrubland, richly scaffolded with Larrea tridentata (creosote), Ambrosia dumosa (white bursage) and Ephedra funerea (Death Valley ephedra) to name just a few of the charismatic shrub species in this place. 🌼 The main floral display here is Salvia columbariae (chia sage), sweeping across the desert floor in a continuous drift of tens of thousands of plants. We've had our nose to the ground for the last several weeks in the midst of many projects with barely any time to think beyond what's in front of us. This weekend excursion reignited my purpose to illuminate the ways in which each of us, in almost every region around the globe, can chart new ways of #planting, #gardening, and living with the landscapes we call home. In particular, recognizing the impacts of human disturbance gives us a way to calibrate these natural precedents with the dynamic environment we live in. #naturalgarden #yournaturalgarden #newnaturalism #threeoaksgarden #desertecology #mojavedesert #desertwildflowers #plantswithstyle #plantingdesign #resilientlandscapes #morethanturf #ecologicalgarden #naturalgarden #ecologicalgardening #gardenlife #wildgarden #meadow #meadowgarden #naturalisticgarden #naturalisticgardening #nativeflora #nativeplants #botanizing #planthunting
Astragalus argophyllus panguicense Panguitch Milkvetch Fabaceae ASARP Found by Sand Hollow State Park #utahbotany #utahflora #southernutah #southwesternbotany #WIDFLOWERS #endangeredplants #rareplants #DESERTFlOWERS #FLORAOFUTAH #UTAHNATIVEPLANTS #desertflora #BOTANY #BOTANIZING
Astragalus panamintensis, the panamint milkvetch! Saw a bunch of this beautiful little Astragalus growing from carbonate rock outcroppings at mid-elevation in the Last Chance Range yesterday. This species can’t be confused with any other. Its growth habit and flowers are unique in the region. It also has a pretty specific habitat of cracks in carbonate cliffs, ledges and rocky talus beneath them. Its entire range is almost restricted to Inyo County, California, with it extending just across the border into Nevada. I ended up almost summiting the peak of the Last Chance Range by accident. I went out to the area to find a specific plant, but then when I found it I decided to keep going up because I saw other cool plants. I did that until I was at about 8250 feet up and less than a mile from the peak. At that point I figured I might as well try and go to the top! But… I didn’t bring any food and very little water for a long and steep hike, just enough to get to that one plant down low. So after I got up the last steepest climb, my vision kinda went black and I got really light headed. I definitely didn’t eat enough food for the amount of work I did, so I started feeling really sick. Then anxiety attack in the middle of nowhere! Yay! So I decided to head back down, even though I was so close. Just means I’ll have to come back up later and actually try to get there on purpose. Plus more stuff will be blooming! There was still some snow up there on the north facing slopes! #Astragaluspanamintensis #Astragalus #panamintmilkvetch #milkvetch #fabaceae #botany #botanizing #plantsofinstagram #plantsmakepeoplehappy #lastchancerange #californianativeplants #plants
Fringed Grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia fimbriata), of the Staff Vine Family (Celastraceae) This beauty can be distinguished from other species by its fimbriate petal margins (i.e. fringed petals). Some other Parnassia species also have fringed petals, but this particular pattern is unique to this species. No one knows the function of petal fringes in P. fimbriata, but one hypothesis is that the fringes help attract insect pollinators, maybe by mimicking the appearance of nectaries. Or maybe the insects are like me and just think the fringes are pretty! For more on this topic: “Elaborate petals and staminodes in eudicots: diversity, function, and evolution,” Peter Endress et al (2006) #botany #botanizing #wildflower #wildflowers #nativeplant #nativeplants #ecology #parnassia #celastraceae #grandtetons #grandtetonnationalpark
This week I was fortunate to stumble upon Asarum fudsinoi, known locally in Japan as Fujino Kan-Aoi (フジノカンアオイ). This endangered member of the Aristolochiaceae is found only on the Japanese island of Amamioshima. It produces lovely flowers at the base of the plant during the cooler months of the year (December-May) and is prized by many exotic plant collectors. Fortunately this plant is strictly protected in the wild by the Japanese government and the dedicated local rangers on the island. It is also in cultivation in Japan which will hopefully reduce demand for poached plants. #botany #fieldbotany #botanical #botanizing #planthunting #planthunter #japan #japaneseplants #flora #floraofjapan #japanflower #japaneseflora #wildjapan #wildflowers #japanesewildflower #日本 #日本の花 #amamioshima #amamiisland #奄美大島 #フジノカンアオイ #asarum #aristolochiaceae
Backlog posting { 1-2 } Dwarf Crested Iris { 3 } Palm Violet { 4 } Wild Hyacinth { 5-6 } Shooting Stars { 7-8 } Widow's Cross Sedum { 9 } Pine pollen on Beaver Lake { 10 } Basswood leaves 🍃
This is a white flowering Genlisea hispidula from KwaZulu Natal. It grows together with the usual blue/purple form. This leads to a lot of interesting color variations beetwen white and all shades of blue/purple. #genlisea #genliseahispidula #corkscrewplant #kwazulunatal #carnivorousplants #fleischfressendepflanze #carnivorousplantsclub #carnivorousplantsofinstagram #insectivorousplants #botany #botanizing #reusenfalle
Drosera rostulata Adorable little Sundew that usually pops its flowers out of the ground before its leaves emerge. I've found a lot of these on shallow, winter-wet ground next to granite outcrops in Balingup. . . . #savagegarden #carnivorousplants #sundew #drosera #westernaustralianflora #waflora #macrophotography #thisiswa #native #nature #abcmyphoto #aussienative #australianwildflowers #ausgeo #natgeo #botanist #botanizing #botany #wawildflowers
Swallenia alexandrae, Eureka Valley dunegrass! This is one of the most incredible grasses in North America. Completely unique in form and habitat. This is a monotypic grass, the only member of its genus, and the only place on earth it is found is on large sand dunes in the Eureka Valley, within Death Valley National Park. It grows high up on the dunes here, some of which tower over 600 feet high. In upper reaches of the dunes, not much else can grow but Swallenia and some Dicoria canescens, so the grass can grow almost without competition. At lower parts of the dune it can be crowded by the extremely invasive Salsola aka Russian thistle aka tumbleweed. It is also very stiff and sharp to the touch, discouraging any herbivores that might make the journey in the dunes. The really crazy thing about this plant is how the hell did it get here. Studies on it demonstrate that it has very low genetic diversity, suggesting it either had a severe bottlenecking event in its past where it almost went extinct, and then rebounded from a very small population of individuals, or possibly it is due to a founder effect, where this species or its ancestor colonized the dune field from a very small number of closely related individuals, which then interbred and built up the present population. What I really wanted to know was, what are this plant’s closest relatives? Well there was a study on that too! Phylogenetic trees show Swallenia to be most closely related to Blepharidachne, Erioneuron, Dasyochloa, Munroa and Scleropogon. Aha! Now that makes sense! These are all stiff, pokey desert grasses, many of which also grow in Death Valley and the greater Mojave Desert. But… they’re mostly tiny tufted little things that grow in gravel. Swallenia is a huge, lanky dune plant that can grow over 5 feet across. So did it evolve from a small rocky soil species like its relatives and rapidly adapt to dune life? Or did it evolve from a once more widespread and larger sandy soil loving species that has since gone extinct everywhere else, leaving only Swallenia clinging on to existence in this extremely specific habitat? So many mysteries to this plant. I’m absolutely in love with it.
So many ferns! Who would have thought a dessert could host such a Myriad of ferns! Monday (4/15), i had a wonderful opportunity to attend a field day with the Vegetation crew and the other volunteer botanist of Zion! We hiked around 7 miles looking and learning how to identify the Ferns here in Zion. Two of the Ferns (first 2 photos) are rare for Zion, and the second Fern (Rockholly) was last seen in Zion in the year 1931. Until recent years, the other botanist came across the first sighting since then! I was fortunate to see these beautiful ferns, and I'm so glad i got to find a couple of rare ones! Here are the plants in corrdinance to the photo order: 1. Rock holly-Fern (Polystichum scopulinum) 2. Black Spleenwort (Asplenium adaiantum-nigrum) 3. Goldback Fern (Pentagramma triangularis) 4. Coville's Lip Fern (Myriopteris covillei) 5. Black-stemmed Spleenwort (Asplenium resiliens) 6. Cliff Brittle Fern (cystopteris fragilis) 7. Western Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum pubescens) 8. Westrn Polypody (polypodium hesperium) 9. Field Horsetail (equisetum arvense) 10. Spiny Cliff-Break (Pellaea truncata) #utahbotany #utahflora #southernutah #southwesternbotany #endangeredplants #rareplants #FLORAOFUTAH #UTAHNATIVEPLANTS #desertflora #BOTANY #BOTANIZING #ferns #xericfern #asplenium #Polypodium #myriopteris #Pteridaceae #pteridium #adiantum #equisetum #polystichum #polystichumscopulinum #aspleniumadiantumnigrum #pellaea #aspleniumresiliens #pentagramma #cystopteris
The diminutive field forget-me-not. In #3, note the blades of grass to show scale. In #5, a spring beauty bloom provides scale. These non-natives were found growing in the grass under the Blue Rock State Forest fire tower. The last pics show the tower and New Deal shelter that still stands beside the tower. April 17, 2024 #OhioWildflowers #OhioWildflowersApril #wildflowersofinstagram #midwestwildflowers #northamericanwildflowers #nonnativeplants #OhioBotany #botanizing #ohiostateforests #BlueRockStateForest #fieldforgetmenot #forgetmenot #ohionature #ohionaturelovers #nature #bloominglawn #naturegram #ohiotheheartofitall #newdeal #tinyflowers #tinyblooms
Here’s a few highlights from my trip to the Sonoran Desert last month to visit @avas_plant_page and botanize around Kofa and the Superstitions. I had an amazing time and will definitely be posting more from that trip. 1. Penstemon pseudospectabilis 2. Lupinus succulentus 3. Keckiella antirrhinoides 4. Maurandella antirrhiniflora 5. Justicia candicans 6. Encelia farinosa at Kofa 7. Marina parryi 8. Carnegiea gigantea at Kofa 9. Erythranthe verbenacea 10. An Agave chrysantha taller than me! #arizonabotany #floraofarizona #sonoranflora #arizonanativeplants #botanizing
More Brittlebush and Saguaros, this time in the Tonto National Forest. Second slide - ruins at Tonto National Monument Last slide - with Roosevelt Lake in the background . . .Brittlebush, Encelia farinosa and Giant Saguaros, Carnegiea gigantea. . . Ancestral lands of the Pueblos, Ndee/Nnēē: (Western Apache), Hohokam peoples. . . #brittlebush #enceliafarinosa #saguaro #carnegieagigantea #giantsaguaro #springwildflowers #azwildflowers #wildflowerwatch #wildflowers #wildflower #wildflowers #cacti #cactus #botany #botanizing #azflora #nature #naturephotography #nature_perfection #natureflowers #nature_brilliance #explore_nature #weswiesaz #divine_deserts #sonorandesert #instagramaz #arizonahighways #tontonationalforest #tontonationalmonument #rooseveltlake
° Лекарственные растения в моем Саду ° Бурачник лекарственный (Borago officinalis L.) Семейство Бурачниковые (Boraginaceae) ° После опыления розовый цвет лепестков меняется на голубой. ° #лекарственныерастения #мойлюбимыйсад #mygarden #botany #botanizing ° 18 апреля 2024
Clasping milkweed’s subtle colors are so delicate. #milkweed #asclepias #nativeplants #louisiananativeplants #pinkandgreen #kistachienationalforest #kisatchie #longleafpine #insturalist #usforestservice #wildgeography #botanizing #natgeoyourshot #naturephotography #bokeh
Some wildflowers I saw on the trail in Saguaro NP East on Sunday 1. Rock hibiscus 2. Feather dalea 3. Gordon’s bladderpod 4. Trailing windmills 5. Trailing windmills and desert chicory 6. Brittlebush 7. Desert chicory and lupine 8. Desert chicory 9. Desert woolly star 10. Cockroachplant #desertflowers #wildflowerwatch #arizona #visittucson #igers_tucson #tucsonaz #trailingwindmills #featherdalea #brittlebush #desertchicory #gordonsbladderpod #lupine #deserthibiscus #desertwoollystar #eriastrum #blueflowers #pinkflowers #springwildflowers #azwildflowers #wildflowers #wildflower #botany #botanizing #azflora #explore_nature #flowersandmacro #macro_captures #weswiesaz
The Desert Larkspur, Delphinium parishii, has such beautiful coloration. Such a stunning flower. . . . Ancestral lands of the O’odham Jeweḍ, Sobaipuri, Tohono O’odham, Hohokam . . . #larkspur #delphiniumparishii #delphinium #desertlarkspur #springwildflowers #flower #azwildflowers #wildflowerwatch #wildflowers #wildflower #botany #botanizing #azflora #nature #naturephotography #nature_perfection #natureflowers #macro #nature_brilliance #macrophotography #explore_nature #flowersandmacro #macro_captures #macro_nature #macroandflora #weswiesaz #divine_deserts #sonorandesert #tucson
Dutchman’s breeches 👖in Blacklick Woods #dutchmansbreeches #bleedinghearts #poppyfamily #papaveraceae #botanizing #springwildflowers #springephemeral #nativewildflowers #nativeplants #forestfloor #spring #april
I’m behind on getting these plant pics up! Catching up on a few more plants from our Ohio trip—white fawnlily, first seen with beetle friend (apparently red-necked false blister beetle); swamp buttercup; toadshade trillium with cutleaf toothwort; and Canadian wild ginger 🌱 #nativeplants #nativeplantsofohio #botanizing #springephemeral #springwildflowers #nativewildflowers #whitefawnlily #whitetroutlily #troutlily #erythroniumalbidum #erythronium #redneckedfalseblisterbeetle #beetle #beetles #pollinatorfriend #canadianwildginger #wildginger #asarumcanadense #swampbuttercup #ranunculushispidus #trillium #cutleaftoothwort
The Larksur are blooming in the desert. This one is the Bare-stem Larkspur, or Tall Mountain Larkspur, Delphinium scaposum. Tomorrow I'll post the Desert Larkspur. . . . Ancestral lands of the O’odham Jeweḍ, Sobaipuri, Tohono O’odham, Hohokam . . . #larkspur #delphiniumscaposum #delphinium #barestemlarkspur #tallmountainlarkspur #springwildflowers #flower #azwildflowers #wildflowerwatch #wildflowers #wildflower #botany #botanizing #azflora #nature #naturephotography #nature_perfection #natureflowers #macro #nature_brilliance #macrophotography #explore_nature #flowersandmacro #macro_captures #macro_nature #macroandflora #weswiesaz #divine_deserts #sonorandesert #tucson
wildflower wednesday 🌸 🆔 wild geranium (geranium maculatum) spiderwort (tradescantia virginiana) longspur violet (viola rostrata) robin’s plantain (erigeron pulchellus) red columbine (aquilegia canadensis) carolina allspice (calycanthus floridus) bashful wakerobin (trillium catesbaei) . . . #wildflowersofinstagram #flowersofinstagram #flora #forestbathing #shinrinyoku #wildflowerwednesday #botany #botanizing #botanical #scnativeplants #wildflowers #forest #woodlandwalks #hikingtrails #anthophile #flowerphotography #forestflowers #forestflowers #springflowers #waterfallsofinstagram #nature #chasingwaterfalls #ecology #biodiversity #wildflower #forestfloor #explore #wildgeranium #floweroftheday #tinyworld #spotthebug
A fully doubled rue anemone. I walked right past it. Good thing the husband has eagle eyes. And is willing to point out special finds along the trail, even if it means a significant delay in our walk for photo taking.😉 April 16, 2024 #OhioWildflowers #OhioWildflowersApril #wildflowersofinstagram #naturegram #OhioBotany #prettymutants #rueanemone #ohionativeplants #ohionaturepreserve #ohionature #ohionaturelovers #botanizing #springephemeral #springephemerals #ohiowildflowerhikes #midwestwildflowers #northamericanwildflowers #aprilblooms
°Лекарственные растения в моем Саду ° Бурачник лекарственный = Огуречная трава = Бораго (Borago officinalis L. ) Семейство Бурачниковые (Boraginaceae) ° Цветок пока ещё не опылен и его лепестки розовые. ° 16 апреля 2024 ° #лекарственныерастения #mygarden #мойлюбимыйсад #мойсад #botanizing #botany °
These delicate little blue flowers are Miniature Woollystars, Eriastrum diffusum, each flower is only about 1/2 inch across. They would be so easy to miss if they didn't sometimes grow in such large patches. . . . Ancestral lands of the O’odham Jeweḍ, Sobaipuri, Tohono O’odham, Hohokam . . . #miniaturewoollystar #eriastrumdiffusum #eriastrum #blueflowers #springwildflowers #flower #azwildflowers #wildflowerwatch #wildflowers #wildflower #botany #botanizing #azflora #nature #naturephotography #nature_perfection #natureflowers #macro #nature_brilliance #macrophotography #explore_nature #flowersandmacro #macro_captures #macro_nature #macroandflora #weswiesaz #divine_deserts #sonorandesert #babaddoag #tucson
#erythropalumscandens is a widespread and common non-descript vine in the Asian tropics- unless when in fruit when the dehiscent red-orange pericarps expose the blue, smelly seeds within. #erythropalum #olacaceae #plantsinthewild #plantsinsitu #botanizing
First Bloodroot of the year here in Montpelier, Vermont (with Odin). #botanizing #botany #dog #englishshepherd
I've seen so many beautiful Desert Pincushion flowers this year. Chaenactis sp., either steviodes or fremontii. . . . Ancestral lands of the O’odham Jeweḍ, Sobaipuri, Tohono O’odham, Hohokam . . . #desertpincushion #pincushion #chaenactis #chaenactisstevioides #chaenactisfremontii #springwildflowers #azwildflowers #wildflowerwatch #wildflowers #wildflower #botany #botanizing #azflora #nature #naturephotography #nature_perfection #natureflowers #macro #nature_brilliance #macrophotography #explore_nature #flowersandmacro #macro_captures #macro_nature #macroandflora #weswiesaz #divine_deserts #sonorandesert #catalinastatepark #azstateparks
Hesperoyucca whipplei Chaparral Yucca Asparagaceae I was able to see this magnificent yucca several times over the past few weeks near our campsite in Mission Creek. We’ve been conducting surveys in the mountains above Desert Hot Springs, which involved a lot of brutal hikes in increasing heat. It was a real treat to come back to camp, put my feet in the stream, and then meander over to the chaparral yucca to spend a little time with it. I saw one of the towering inflorescences grow at least a foot over two days. This week they were positively covered in ladybugs and nearly in peak bloom, with a few freshly fallen flowers impaled by the razor sharp leaves below (a feature I find strangely poetic). #hesperoyuccawhipplei #californiabotany #californianativeplants #floraofcalifornia #botanizing
Today was a special day hiking around Golden Ears Provincial Park, where I came across Trilliums in the wild for the first time. Dotted all over the wooded trail was the Pacific Trillium, Trillium ovatum. Never overly abundant, just the odd plant every now and again. An interesting little plant that gets help dispersing it's seed from ants who bring it underground where it will then germinate. I have always admired them in gardens, but it is another thing altogether to see one grow in native habitat #plant #plants #wildflowers #wildflower #woodland #forest #britishcolumbia #bcnativeplants #canada #goldenearprovincialpark #bcparks #trillium #trilliumovatum #pacifictrillium #melanthiaceae #botanize # #botanizing #nativeplants
Texas thistle action! 🌸🐝 I’m down in the Texas Hill Country (near San Antonio) for a friend’s wedding and was able to enjoy a lovely morning walk along a creek. It’s peak spring wildflower season in this part of central Texas so there were plenty of flowers and pollinators to behold. 🌸 One of my Botany students mentioned wanting to learn more about thistles, so I snapped this photos of Texas thistle - Cirsium texanum- one bloom. This native species is in the Asteraceae family. 🐝 And look at that dusting of lovely lavender/blue pollen on the bee! . . #botanizing #botany #texasplants #texaswildflowers #texasnatives #nativeplants #plants #texashillcountry #hillcountry #texas #pollinators #bees #beeplants #wildflowers #flowerphotography #nature #naturephotography #planthunter #plantsman #womeninhorticulture #botanicalwomen
Some charming little B.C natives seen yesterday on Bowen. 1-8: was the most gorgeous little annual wildflower, Collinsia parviflora, which carpeted a damp rock face and created a sea of purple. It's very small but very pretty. It was growing alongside mosses, including what looks like a clump of Wallace Selaginella, Selaginella wallacei, and another damp loving annual, the chickweed monkey flower, Mimulus alsinoides. #wildflowers #botanize #botanizing #flower #flowers #collinsia #collinsiaparviflora #blueeyedmary #mimulus #monkeyflower #mimulusalsinoides #moss #selaginella #selaginellawalllacei #scrophulariaceae #nature #bowen #bowenisland #britishcolumbia #canada #flora #