The wildflowers have just started blooming at
White Rock Lake, a few days after the heavy rains earlier in the week.
Texas has
an amazing variety of wildflowers, so much so, that there have been numerous attempts
to change the states nick name from the Lone Star State to the Wildflower
State.
The images below were photographed today.
Looks like Lyreleaf Sage - still need to verify
The Dotted Blue-eyed
Grass (Sisyrinchium pruinosum) below grows low to the ground. It has lots of
long green grass-like leaves. In fact, it is a member of the Iris family. They
have just started blooming at White Rock Lake. Look for these wildflowers to
form a sea of blue in the coming days.
Dotted Blue-eyed Grass belong to the Iris family.
The Showy Primrose (Oenothera
speciosa) – image below - takes
two years to produce a bloom, and when it does, the flowers open in the early morning and
last for only a single day. It is often called a Buttercup.
These blooms were on the bank of Dixon Branch
Creek.
The Showy Primrose flowers open in the early morning and
last for only a single day.
The flowers of the Rose
Verbena (Verbena canadensis) grow in clumps and have a very pleasant
fragrance. The clusters of light purple flowers are a favorite source of nectar
for butterflies.
Rose Verbena or Rose Vervain is also known as Large-flowered verbena or Clump
verbena. The plant attracts many insect pollinators.
This is how the plant got
its name: "Rose" refers to the bright rose-purple color of the
flowers; "vervain" comes from an old French name for this group of
plants; "Verbena" (from Latin) - a classical name for the branches of
trees used in religious rites.
The clusters of Rose Verbena flowers are a favorite
source of nectar for butterflies.
Dewberries are common and
many people think of them as a weed, but the leaves can be used
for a tea, and the berries are sweet and edible. They can be eaten
raw, or used to make cobbler, jam, or pie.
Around March and
April, the plants start to growing their white flowers that develop into small green berries. The tiny green berries
grow red and then a deep purple-blue as they ripen. When the berries are ripe,
they are tender and difficult to pick in any quantity without squashing them.
The white Dewberry flowers develop into small green berries.
The Fringed Puccoon
(Lithospermum incisum) is a stunning wildflower. The root has a red
substance that Indians used as a dye.
Fringed Puccoon
Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota) is a native
of Europe and southwest Asia, but has naturalized all over the United States.
It usually blooms in the spring in Texas.
The plant is a favorite of several
species of butterflies, including the black swallowtail that uses it as a host
plant.
Queen Anne’s Lace is an ancestor of the
garden carrot.
Queen Anne’s Lace is a favorite of several species of butterflies.
You can view more spectacular images of wildflowers here:
Blooming Marvelous Wildflowers at White Rock Lake
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Limestone Gaura (Gaura Calcicola)
Mediterranean Mustard also known as Bastard Cabbage
