World Wildflower Report

14/04/2024

Humingbird moth - Texas

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14/04/2024

Probably, Enemion biternatum from Illinois, USA

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14/04/2024

From Sicily

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11/04/2024

Beach morning glory native to beaches around the world!

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11/04/2024

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=EUSI13

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11/04/2024

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=vipe

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11/04/2024

From the UK.

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11/04/2024

From Alaska
https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PEGO

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29/07/2023

Reminder!
Please read the rules before posting. The top two rules not followed are:
1. No full date with month, day and year
2. No general location

Also, spam filters are turned on. If your account is caught by the spam filters then your request is automatically declined. I don't spend time trying to figure out why.

22/05/2023

For the purpose of this group a wildflower is a flowering plant that's native to the region where it was photographed. That plant can be in a garden setting or in the wild. The key word here is native.

A flower growing in the wild is not necessarily a wildflower.

19/06/2021

Surprisingly, some wildflowers are native to both sides of the Atlantic.

11/06/2021

Every year a brilliantly colored bloom of lupine flowers draws admirers to the Bald Hills of Redwood National and State Parks (NPS) in California.

There are several different variety of lupine that grow in the park, but the star of this late spring glow up is the riverbank lupine, which is said to make the whole hillside smell like grape soda!

The seeds of riverbank lupine provide food for birds, and its dense patches provide cover for rabbits, insects, and other small animals. Native bees, especially bumblebees, are attracted to its pollen and nectar.

Pic courtesy of Doug Shearer

24/03/2021

14/03/2021

2021 Texas Wildflower Season Outlook
As of March 10, 2021, it appears that we are on track for a “hit and miss” season with bloom times close to normal times or slightly later depending on overall temperatures during the rest of March. Most all areas in Texas have some locations that received normal to above normal rainfall in September 2020 to support some germination of seeds, but the rainfall throughout Texas for October and November was below normal with some exceptions. The below normal rainfall for October and November could be a major limiting factor for the number of plants that are actually out there. The winter rainfall although below normal in most areas should have been sufficient to sustain rosette growth. Some locations like some counties in the Hill Country received close to normal rainfall in the past 60 days. Winter temperatures for December through February were about one degree below average. The below normal temperature during the winter months might have been enough to satisfy the “vernalization” requirement for winter annuals. See the full report at: 2021 Texas Wildflower Outlook (https://www.wildflowerhaven.com/Articles/2021-Texas-Wildflower-Outlook)

For typical bloom times see this article: https://www.wildflowerhaven.com/Articles/Texas-Bloom-Times

16/06/2020

Got an itch?

Got an Itch?
This is Knautia arvensis or as it is commonly known, field scabious. Species like this were used to treat scabies (which means scratch) and the skin lesions brought on by the bubonic plague. Aren't wildflowers wonderful?
I photographed these two with bees in Gartenschau, Kaiserslautern, Germany, but it is native to most of Europe and found as an introduced plant in the Canada and parts of USA.
Photo was taken 5/20/2014

https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/302500
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Knautia+arvensis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knautia_arvensis

08/06/2020

While you may think of blooming flowers as a strictly springtime occurrence, the rich diversity of more than 400 national parks across the country protected and preserved by the National Park Service means you can enjoy them all year long. Wildflowers dot the landscapes of our treasured

21/12/2019

Blue lace flower (Trachymene coerulea), also known as Rottnest Island Daisy.
Photo taken 11/14/2019, Rottnest Island, Western Australia

Blue lace flower (Trachymene coerulea), also known as Rottnest Island Daisy.
Photo taken 11/14/2019, Rottnest Island, Western Australia

https://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/about-us/information/our-plants/plants-in-focus/trachymene-coerulea

17/12/2019

Pink Mulla Mulla (Ptilotus nobilis syn. Ptilotus exaltatus)

Photo taken 11/12/2019 at Kings Park, Perth WA.

Pink Mulla Mulla (Ptilotus nobilis syn. Ptilotus exaltatus)

This wildflower is endemic to most of Australia’s mainland. According to the Australian Native Plant Society the current scientific name should be Ptilotus nobilis. Common names include lamb’s tail, p***y tails, pink mulla mulla, and tall mulla mulla. Herbaceous perennials, they are found in a wide varieties of habit from tropical to arid areas.

http://anpsa.org.au/p-exa.html
https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/2721

Photo taken 11/12/2019 at Kings Park, Perth WA.

17/12/2019

Banksia sp. (possibly Banksia aemula or Banksia serrata)

Photo taken 11/12/2019 at Kings Park, Perth WA.

Banksia sp. (possibly Banksia aemula or Banksia serrata)

This is some species (possibly Banksia aemula or Banksia serrata) in the genus, Banksia which is for one exception entirely endemic to Australia. Banksia species are key to the balance of nature in areas of western and eastern Australia providing nectar to a wide variety of nectar-loving wildlife. Banksia plant fossils dating over 47 million years have been found in Australia.

References:
https://www.anbg.gov.au/banksia/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksia

Photo taken 11/12/2019 at Kings Park, Perth WA.

16/12/2019

Wedding Bush (Ricinocarpos pinifolius )
Photo taken 11/11/2019 at Perth Zoo, Perth WA.

Wedding Bush (Ricinocarpos pinifolius )

Native and endemic to eastern Australia, the wedding bush is found mostly in sandy soils. It is used for cut flowers and ornamental gardens, but is not easily grown from seed.

References:
http://anpsa.org.au/r-pin.html
https://www.gardeningwithangus.com.au/ricinocarpus-pinifolius-wedding-bush/
Wedding bush – Ricinocarpos pinifolius, WetlandInfo, Department of Environment and Science, Queensland, viewed 16 December 2019, https://wetlandinfo.des.qld.gov.au/wetlands/ecology/components/species/?ricinocarpos-pinifolius

Photo taken 11/11/2019 at Perth Zoo, Perth WA.

14/12/2019

Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos sp., probably Anigozanthos manglesii)
Photo taken 11/9/2019, Kings Park, Perth WA

Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos sp., probably Anigozanthos manglesii)

One of the showiest wildflowers in the Western Australian spring wildflower show it is also the state emblem (if this is Anigozanthos manglesii) of Western Australia. Like our Texas bluebonnet there are several species with the common name of “kangaroo paw” all but one belonging to the genus, Anigozanthos. And like our bluebonnet species, the kangaroo paw wildflowers are a favorite for both public and private gardens and grown for cut flowers. Many of the wildflowers in Western Australia present as bushes, shrubs or tall stalky clumps.

http://anpsa.org.au/a-man.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anigozanthos_manglesii
Photo taken 11/9/2019, Kings Park, Perth WA.

11/12/2019

Kings Park - Western Australian Botanical Garden
This is at the entrance to the Western Australian Botanical Garden section of Kings Park in Perth, Australia. This section contains the "easy paved" bushland trails with the main focus on the native flora of Western Australia.

Photo taken 11/12/2019 at Kings Park, Perth, Australia.

Kings Park - Western Australian Botanical Garden
This is at the entrance to the Western Australian Botanical Garden section of Kings Park in Perth, Australia. This section contains the "easy paved" bushland trails with the main focus on the native flora of Western Australia. There are other more rugged "bushland-like" trails. But I walked one that had a raised boardwalk for most of 1.5 mile trail. The photo here was taken just before the entrance to the Western Australia section and features many of the main wildflowers in bloom in November. I will focus on most of these in separate posts later. As you can see just like our May-June wildflowers, the main colors for November are the reds and yellows (November is the last month of spring for Australia).

Photo taken 11/12/2019 at Kings Park, Perth WA.

11/12/2019

Rhodanthe manglesii (my best guess)
Mangles' everlasting, Pink Sunray
http://anpsa.org.au/r-man.html

Photo taken 11/12/2019 at Kings Park, Perth, Australia.

Rhodanthe manglesii (my best guess)
Mangles' everlasting, Pink Sunray
http://anpsa.org.au/r-man.html

Like our bluebonnets in Texas, the Rhodanthe species (especially Rhodanthe chlorocephala ) are some of the more popular wildflowers in Australia that create expansive displays. They are often called "everlastings" because they can be dried and will last for a very long time. In my recent visit to Kings Park in Perth, Australia, I just missed the peak for the everlastings show. I was happy to at least find and photograph these blooms from what I think are Mangles' everlasting - Rhodanthe manglesii.

Photo taken 11/12/2019 at Kings Park, Perth, Australia.

06/12/2019

Eucalyptus macrocarpa
Native and endemic to Southwestern Australia
https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/5705

I just recently returned from a trip to Asia-Pacific. My main destination was Perth, Australia. Although I was late to the wildflower party there (peak is September-October) there were still plenty of blooms to see and photograph.

Photo here was taken 11/9/2019 at Kings Park, Perth, Australia.

Eucalyptus macrocarpa
Native and endemic to Southwestern Australia
https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/5705

I just recently returned from a trip to Asia-Pacific. My main destination was Perth, Australia. Although I was late to the wildflower party there (peak is September-October) there were still plenty of blooms to see and photograph. Since Australia is "down under", their November is like our May, so you tend to see more of the yellows and reds at that time. And just like Texas, Western Australia has been experiencing the same weird climate changes with polar dips in the jet stream of the south pole. This season saw several severe dips in temperatures with dry weather followed by record highs and heavy rains. Right before I arrived the highs were in the 50s to 60s with lows in the 40s. By the time I arrived the highs were in the 80s to 90s with a couple days in the 70s. As of right now, that entire region is under severe fire danger. I was very fortunate to arrive at a more temperate time with mostly clear skies.

Since I was dependent on mass transit, my main focus was on areas I could reach by bus, train or ferry. My first target was Kings Park (https://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/kings-park ) which is a 988+ acre botanical nature preserve. The park features miles and miles of bushland like trails and acres of native flora gardens. It was kind of like the dream wildflower preserve I would create if I was a billionaire. More about Kings Park and other locations in the Perth area in later posts.

Photo here was taken 11/9/2019 at Kings Park, Perth, Australia.

04/09/2019

"This show is what normal was in the ’80s
In the mountains above Crested Butte, Billek puts more pressing stress on that ethic. He points to the “warming meadow” at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, where lights have been strung over wildflower patches to show how global warming might affect flowers. Since 1991 the lights have been heating the air temperature around the wildflowers to three degrees above that in the surrounding area." - https://coloradosun.com/2019/07/04/colorado-wildflower-hikes-super-bloom/?fbclid=IwAR1E4S-bUWL6fVoynpiEnMW3JgJMc8WVlILT8TSDYZisQ892_b5Kw-2hhik

Warming winters are affected other bloom times and the extent of the blooms. Colorado finally got lots of snow which produced what looked like a record bloom, but in reality it is what it used to look like in the 80s. Lots of debate out there about climate change, but those of us who have been photographing wildflowers for over 20 years have already seen changes. "Normal seasons" no longer happen, now we sit around and wait for the "above normal" bloom which used to the norm many years ago. There is a group that is monitoring the effects of climate change on the Colorado flora and wildlife - "The Biology of Climate Change", http://www.digitalrmbl.org/case-studies/the-biology-of-climate-change/

We have some ideas where to find the humdinger of a flower show, from the Eastern Plains on west. But please don't call it a "super bloom. "

02/08/2019

Colorado in full bloom!
Here are some awesome photos of wildflowers from the Wolf Creek Pass area, Colorado. Photos taken 7/20/2019 by Leta Thomas.