Sunday, February 26, 2012

'Popcorn' Flower

Another type of 'popcorn' flower.  This one is much more along the line of the fiddleneck with the curved stem and flowers all in a row.
Side view 

Here's this 'popcorn' flower out of focus and another interesting tiny flower next to it called a stickle leaf.
 The flower is blurry, but the stickle leaves are easier to see.


Here's the other 'popcorn' flower.  Note the long leaves and long stems and open structure as opposed to the smaller bunch in the one above.

Globemallow

Globemallow are beginning to bloom, so I thought I would try to catch some.
 Each flower is cup-shaped. The color here is orange, but I have seen them run from reddish to blue-ish and also very light pink - nearly white.
 The inside of this one has three white pieces sticking up. I haven't seen that in others. Of course, it could be insect eggs or even tiny larvae.
 This shot shows the shape pretty well.
 And the leaves appear to be nettly in this shot, but really they are more what I would call wooly.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Flower & Seed

I don't know the name of this tiny, nettly flower other than to call it a 'popcorn' flower. (I could look it up, I suppose). They are very small and even in large numbers are easily overlooked.
 Tight cropping shows the nettles are sometimes bigger than the flower itself.

This cattail seed head was well over one foot long. I broke it open a little bit.  

Coulter's Lupine blooming at Echo Canyon.
Closer up...

Brittle bush looks like it is growing on the rock.
Closer up you can see the large crack they are growing in.
And a closer shot of the flowers.  Related to the sunflower, each flower head has numerous flowers on it.

Seed of the desert broom all ready to fly off to start new brooms.

Chuparosa bush is often visited by hummingbirds, but this one only had bees buzzing around.


Greythorn fruit beginning to ripen.