E is for...

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   E is for "Engelmann Daisy"   Engelmannia peristenia. This dainty daisy forms virtual carpets of color along West Texas roadways. But you seldom see it behind the fences and in open fields. Why you may ask... (oh, you didn't ask.... well, I going to tell you anyway. After all it is my blog.) The reason is this an "ice cream plant". What that means is the deer and cattle love it. This plant is named after St Louis botanist, George Engelmann who worked with Texas plant collector Ferdinand Lindheimer in the 1800s. You can see blooms of this flower, or at least the uneaten ones, from April through July. 

 

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Guide

   I wonder if Ben and Jerry know about the deer and cattle market... 

D is for....

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 This beautiful flower is know as "Desert Willow" Chilopsis linearis. Though not a true willow at all. It is found along the Trans-Pecos and central west Texas streams and dry creek beds. The flowers are blooming from April through September. It is easy to see why this has been cultivated for gardens across the state.

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Guide

C is for ...

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   Today is one of my favorite native flowers ... "Coral Honeysuckle"   Lonicera sempervirens. This is an east Texas native. It lives along the edge of the woodlands, streams and fence rows. The more common yellow honeysuckle is actually a transplant from Japan and considered a noxious weed in Texas. This Texas lady has very nice manners and doesn't crowd you out. The flowers bloom from April to June.

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Center

B is for ....

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 This little lady here....

Monarch Butterfly Picture from Wikpedia

....picked our next flower. The "Butterflyweed" Asclepias tuberosa , also know as "orange milkweed" or "butterfly milkweed". This plant attracts many species of butterflies. The Monarch larvae feed on the leaves as well. This plant grows in the sandy open soils of the eastern half of Texas. While the butterflies love this plant, it is poisonous to cattle.

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Center

   And of course I can't leave out this famous Texas flower, I think the state would revoke my birth certificate.

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Center

   Of course this is the "Texas Bluebonnet" Lupinus texensis. The "State Flower of Texas" is the most widely planted flower by the Texas Highway Department. It blooms in March, April, and May. On sunny weekends during those months you will find people stopping along the roads to take pictures in the bluebonnets. Just remember to watch for ants before you plop the baby in the middle of a beautiful bunch for that picture.

Want to know the legend of the bluebonnet check out my blog post from last year here.

A is for...

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    It has arrived the April 1st. The beginning of the A to Z challenge, also known as April Fool's Day. Hmm, I wonder if that is intentional.

  If you are new to my blog, Welcome. If not, well you know are welcome, just don't expect me to put out the good china. You guys have already seen the everyday stuff with the chipped edge.

   This year I decided to go with a Theme for the challenge. That theme is Texas Wildflowers in honor of spring. So come on along for the ride through Texas as she shows off her colors. And just think you don't have to by gas.

Ladies and Gentlemen (and all the rest of you too) let's get this show on the road.

   We start the month with... "Arrowwood Viburnum" Viburnum dentatum also known as "Southern Arrowwood". This shrub grown in the sandy soils of east Texas. The Native Americans would use the straight branches to make their arrows, thus the name. This plant blooms from April through July.

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Center