W, Y and Z is for...

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   Okay so if I was stopped by the cops and given a field sobriety test I would fail the alphabet. Blame it on sleep deprivation. I do know that W comes before X... honest I do.

   Well here is the misplaced W. W has 2 flowers I couldn't decide between. The first one is "Winecup"  Callirhoe involucrata. I just love the name and the look of these little flowers. They are everywhere in the spring. They bloom through out the state, except in far West Texas, from February to June.

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Center

    The second W is "Wild Azalea"  Rhododendron canescens. You see many cultivated Azalea through out Texas, Houston even has the Azalea Trails every spring. But there are also 2 native Azalea plants in the east Texas woods. This one blooms in early spring before or just as the leaves start to emerge. Look for the flowers from February to May.

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Center

   For Y I had to pick this showy flower..."Yellow Lotus"  Nelumbo lutea. This plant has completely round leaves. The fruit and center of the flower actually look like shower heads. It is also relation of the sacred lotus of Asia, and can be found in muddy quite ponds in Eastern and Northern Texas. This lotus puts on its show from May through August.

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Center

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Center

  And for my last wildflowers of Texas, I present the Zinnias. There are actually 2 in Texas "Desert Zinnia"  Zinnia acerosa and "Plains Zinnia"  Zinnia grandiflora. Both are relitives of the fimiliar garden zinnia. The Plains Zinnia is found in the western half of Texas and starts its blooming period in June, a month earlier than it cousin. The Desert Zinnia can be found in far West Texas and the southern tip of Texas. The Zinnia bloom from July through November.

Plains Zinnia

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Center

Desert Zinnia

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Center

  This concludes our wildflower trip in Texas. I hope you have enjoyed and learned as much as I have. I have just touched on the Wildflowers of Texas. There are over 120 different flowering plants, not to the mention flowering trees through out the state. So next time you come don't forget to take a closer look at all the things around you.... you just might find something wonderfully unexpected.

  There are many great sites out there for wildflowers the one I used the most was from the University of Texas check out there Wildflowers of Texas site here. Another great site for wildflowers, not only Texas ones, is the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, you can find it here.

U, V and X are for....

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   I am so far behind, that I will have to do multiple letters. Jack has been back in the hospital. So I was there too. No computer... well no to get to the flowers.

  U is for "Unicorn Plant"   Proboscidea louisianica  subsp.  Fragrans. When you hear the name you might think of this guy or gal...

Click here to getImages &

Unicorns In Water Pictures - Pictures

 But this flower is actually a member of the common "Devil's Claw". The seed pods of this plant when rip will split in half and hook themselves on to the clothes or fur of anything passing by. The plant grows in West Texas and though an annual it can form clumps up to 6 feet wide. The foliage is sticky and unpleasant smelling with blooms from June through September.

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Center

    V is for "Violet Ruellia"   Ruellia nudiflora  var.  nudiflora.  This pretty little flower can be found in central and southeastern Texas. It grows anywhere including yards, where it is considered a weed, though a very pretty one. The ruellia blooms from February to November, but more abundently in the early summer. It is sometimes called a wild petunia, but it is not related to the petunia plant at all. The deer love the leaves and bobwhite quail eat the seed of this plant.

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Center

   No for X. First let me explain when I started these post I decided to use common names instead of scientific. That has worked out great....until now. There is no x common name, so I took a little liberty to post Xtra pictures that I have taken of wildflowers around my area.

Stinging Nettle... I stood waaay back for this one.

This little flower only blooms at night, I had to head out with the flashlight for this one.

  If you would like to see others I have taken check out this blog post... Signs of Spring

Since this is the last day I have another post scheduled for 1:30pm central time so that I may actually finish with everyone else.