Thursday, April 12, 2012

K is for...


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   Today's wildflower is the "Kansas Gayfeather"   Liatris pycnostachya. I get a kick out of one of its other names "Hairy Button-snakeroot", but I already had an H. This is a tall drink of water, growing 2-5 feet high. It is also very showy, half of the height is covered in blooms. There are 14 other gayfeather plants found in Texas, but this one prefers the wetlands or damp sand. The others prefer more dry areas. Part of the name of this plant comes from the Greek word for crowded. That perfectly describes the flowers on this plant, that bloom from the top down. Kansas likes to show off it's blooms from June all the way through October. This plant is another favorite of the bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. 



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Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Guide

6 comments:

Laura Eno said...

Beautiful! It looks like a bottlebrush. Are they related?

SharleneT said...

Hello, Fellow Challenger, from #401-Rockin'Chair Reflections! Now, I want some for my yard. How do they do in NC?

Grammy said...

Hi, I can just imagine the honey bees, the butterflies and hummingbirds attracted to these beautiful flowers. :) Best regards to you, Ruby

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

It's kind of pretty.

michelle said...

I'm popping in from the A to Z Challenge.
I really admire those with "green fingers"... I am hopelesss... I killed a cactus once... I mean, how on earth is that possible, you ask? I don't know... (go on... laugh at me... it's okay)
But that's a story for another time.
Nice to meet you!

Bishop Leo Michael said...

Great picture! So beautiful when you see up close. Thank you