O is for....

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   O is for "Obedient plant"   Physostegia digitalis. This flowering plant get its name from the fact that when you move the flower to the side it will stay in that position. (I could think of some people and dogs I wish this worked on.) 

   This plant grows 3 to 5 feet high. This showy flower is found in the open, often wet area of East Texas. It has also been cultivated for gardens and with these beauties I can see why. As I am sure you already guessed the butterflies and hummingbirds like these flowers as well. The blooms show up from June through August.

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Center

N is for...

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   Can you beleive we are now over the halfway point on the A to Z? Yes we are on the downhill side, but we also have some of the toughest letters coming up. V, U, X and Z. I have them all covered but one. I leave it to you to figure out which one it is.

  Today is the letter N and n is covered. N stands for "Net-vein Milkvine"  Matelea reticulata. I love the little star flowers of this plant. They do look like the netting from tutus with a little pearl attached to the middle (or is that just my dance background speaking). This milkvine is the most common on in the Edwards Plateau in Texas, but can also be found in far West Texas, as well as south, and central Texas. The plant gives off an unpleasant odor when brushed and, as the name suggests, has a milky sap. The vine blooms from April all the way through October. 

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Center

   Oh and you might be wondering what the Edwards Plateau is. Well it is a raised plateau of mostly limestone with very little soil. It is bordered on 2 sides by the that is bordered on 2 sides by the Balcones Fault. That is speculated to be the end of the Ouachita Mountains that run through Arkansas and Oklahoma. 

M is for....

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   This bush is another one of my favorites..."Texas Mountain Laurel" Sophora secundiflora. The flower on this plant smell just like grape Kool-ade, but be warned the bright red seeds are poisonous. This small tree or shrub likes it dry. It happily grows in the limestone areas of Central, Southern, and West Texas. An early bloomer, this plant puts on a show from February to April.

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Center

L is for....

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   This flower is called "Living Rock Cactus" or Ariocarpus fissuratus . This plant grows in the dry Big Bend area of west Texas. It blooms in late summer and fall.

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Center

   In this picture you can see why it is called a rock cactus... how many do you see?

(Hint ... not all of them are blooming.)

Picture from Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Want more information check out The Lacy Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and The Plant Resource Center at University of Texas Libraries.

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. 

t

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Guide