Saturday, July 4, 2009

Independence Day Blooms

In my futile effort to chronicle when each flower shows up, I am adding some more to the mix. Yesterday we had lots of rain and while I looked for flowers before the rains came, I did not see any. Today, there are new flowers.

There's a white clump that I think is either Queen Anne's Lace, Yarrow, Buckwheat or Yampah...these are all in the carrot family, and I cannot tell one from the other.
A Meadow Buttercup appeared, with it dainty yellow bloom.
Two other yellow flowers popped up that I cannot identify. One has a teeny-tiny bloom, about 1/4 inch across.
The other is not much bigger.
I cannot find them in my "best" book, which is "Plants of the Rocky Mountains" by Kershaw, MacKinnon and Pojar!

I am always surprised at the intricate details I see when I take a close up of a flower or leaf. This is an aspen leaf.
What makes the aspen leaf quake or shake, is the shape of it's stem. Instead of being round it's square. With the slightest breeze, the leaf shakes. When all the leaves in an aspen forest shake, it sounds like running water. It's a very soothing sound.

I'm also surprised at all the defenses a pretty little flower has. It's filled with barbs and spines and little pricklies. Here's a salsify (also known as "goat's beard") up close and personal. It looks like it's ready to fight a war!

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