Thursday, July 1, 2010

Wildflowers 101

If you'll recall from my last post, I mentioned I would be doing a post about Utah wildflowers. During that hike I started taking pictures of all the different flowers I saw and was amazed at the huge variety! It actually inspired me to go get the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Wildflowers: Western Region  (I love those books!) so that I could identify the wildflowers I saw. It always drives me crazy when I don't know the names of plants and I am severly lacking in my knowledge of wildflowers.

So, with help from my new fabulous book and our good friend, the Internets, I've identified the flowers I saw to the best of my ability. Feel free to leave me a comment and tell me if I've made any errors (as I'm sure I have!) or let me know if I've captured one of your favorites.


1. Sego Lily
I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't know this was a Sego Lily. I had no idea what a Sego Lily looked like and I probably should seeing as how it's the UTAH STATE FLOWER. {hanging my head in shame} I figured a Sego Lily was some ugly weed or something after that Seagull state bird fiasco (YES I know the backstory. NO I still don't like your choice UTAH.) I guess you've redeemed yourself a little with this one.

2. Balsam Root Arrowleaf


3. Blue Pod Lupine
(not 100% sure it's Blue Pod, but I'm pretty sure it's at least a variety of Lupine)



4. Nodding Microseris


5. Plains Prickly Pear


6. Roundleaf Groundsel


7. Spreading Fleabane (aka Blue Aster)


8. Bull Thistle
I was pretty excited that I caught the huge bumblebee in this one & his little buddy in the background


9. Utah Sweet Pea


10. Low Larkspur


11. Western Wallflower
Did you know there's actually a flower called a "wallflower"?!


12. Butter-and-Eggs
These looked like wild snapdragons, although I couldn't make them talk...


13. Yarrow (aka Milfoil)


Bonus: Crescent Milkvetch


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6 comments:

  1. jillconyersJuly 2, 2010 at 5:26 AM

    Great photos. Now I'm curious about the types of wild flowers we have in Ohio. That may be a summer project :)

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  2. PaulJuly 2, 2010 at 10:50 AM

    Nice pics! I love being able to identify the flowers. Yesterday I was on a ride and suddenly found myself surrounded by a field of mariposa lilies and lupine. With a few yarrow thrown in for good measure. If I could find a way to bring wildflowers home without crushing them I would!

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  3. KarenJuly 2, 2010 at 12:22 PM

    So I looked up Mariposa Lily and apparently it's another name for Sego Lily? No wonder I can't keep track of these things. Too many flowers with too many names!

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  4. PaulJuly 2, 2010 at 12:35 PM

    It's funny, I grew up with the understanding that there are slight differences between the two, but I don't know if it's true or not! They are pretty though. And edible, according to wikipedia!

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  5. KarenJuly 2, 2010 at 12:52 PM

    They probably are different. From the pictures I looked at, there were slight differences in the coloring (a bit less of the maroon color), but some of the ones that looked just like mine were marked Mariposa. I'm pretty sure the one I took a picture of is a Sego Lily because it matches the one in my book exactly. I bet there's just a bunch of amateurs like me out there spreading false rumors about wildflowers.

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  6. HollyJuly 8, 2010 at 5:09 PM

    Wonderful photos of such pretty flowers! I kept saying "oh, this one's my FAVORITE!" until I saw the next picture and that one became my favorite. :)

    Great shot of the bumblebee!

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