Ranunculus californica - California Buttercup
This is the only buttercup in Northern California with more than 7 petals and yellow.
This is the only buttercup in Northern California with more than 7 petals and yellow.
Once again I don't have much to say about this species. Unfortunately, botany is not my primary field, or I might know a bit more.
This is in the family Melastomataceae, and looks a bit odd for a Rhexia
These beautiful trees require fairly acidic soil, which makes them hard to cultivate. The Northern California coastal habitat suits them perfectly though. This was taken in a pygmy forest
I thought this was a lily, but apparently it is in fact a sedge. This is one of my best flower photos, and I took it quite a while ago.
Also known as gooseberries, these plants are spiny and bushy, and that about sums them up in my knowledge base.
This is one of several species of Rubus that I don't know how to separate. It's a member of the rose family, Rosaceae
I believe this is also known as Brown-eyed Susan. I'd also like to note that the leaves do not seem particularly thin...
First species of Petunia I've shot. It's not as colorful as those you buy in stores.
This is another species of Gentian, its has considerably more flowers than the other two species I've posted.
This pretty flower is a member of the Gentian family. First time I've managed to get a decent shot, though there is a shadow on it.
This is a southern member of the Gentian family and is pretty common in Florida.
As far as I know, this has nothing to do with potatoes. It is however, relatively common in southern Florida, and is usually growing in or very near water.
Another shot of this plant. There was quite a bit of it in bloom, which surprised me since it's already mid-september
The flower is white, the berries blue... and apparently you can make jam from them. It smells nice in any case
These are really cool saprophytic plants (they can't produce chlorophyll) that are found, among other places, in the Sierra Nevadas. This specimen is very, very old (in the sense that the bloom is very old, not the plant). Usually these are much more compact and the red globular balls aren't very prominent.
Finally a plant with a name that is fitting! These lilies stink to high heaven and are pollinated almost exclusively by flies (though I don't know if a specific group of flies is involved, though it probably is). Amazingly, these plants come out usually in January and early February. This specimen was photographed at the end of November! Can anyone say "Global Warming"
A member of the Lily family. So named for the odor of rotting meat that it produces to attract flies, which pollinate them. Can be found growing in Redwood forests in February.
Another flower that was finally ID'd for me. I knew it was in the snapdragon family, but couldn't figure out any more than that. This was growing on a rocky bluff overlooking a lake in western Kansas
This is a fairly common plant along the coast of California, and is easily distinguished by the strongly lobed leaves.
Like so many of the plants found growing along the coast of California, this is not native to the US. It makes up for this by bringing a wonderful purple color to the scene, one that is definitely lacking unless there is Pink Sand-Verbena around.
I found a few of these plants in wet areas at Point Reyes, this is one of two subspecies in the Bay Area
This was a small plant that was pretty innocuous in the meadow areas we were exploring
Haven't shot too many members of the Mallow family, so it's nice to diversify a bit.
Found this particular specimen in a high alpine meadow on Parker's Ridge in Banff National Park. I don't know whether it is unique to this habitat or whether I just happened to find it there. As with a lot of alpine plants, it's very low to the ground, which makes me think it might only live at high elevations.
Not much in terms of foliage on this particular plant, the flowers make up for it though.
This is called compass plant because its leaves at the base are always oriented north-to-south.
Can't figure out the species on this one. The flower looks like a Lily, but is actually in the Iris family
Despite its similarity to lilies, this is a member of the Iris family, which is also a monocot, so its not too distantly related to lilies.
It might have berries, but please refrain from eating them. This is a member of the deadly poisonous nightshade family Solanaceae
ID'd this by process of elimination, luckily in JDSP there aren't many Solidago to choose from
Used the leaf shape to ID this fairly large, bush-like plant with tiny flowers.
I was surprised to learn that this is not in fact Spiranthes romanzofilla (Hooded Lady's Tresses), but rather the much rarer (at least in California) Western Lady's Tresses. This individual was hiding out in the midst of a very wet meadow.
Another Lady's Tresses orchid. Quite a few of them growing near the geysers in Yellowstone
Here's another photo of Sprianthes vernalis. I actually used a key to identify this, so I'm very confident of the ID. Found it growing in a drainage ditch.
This is another orchid in the Spiranthes genus, and a very pretty one at that.
This showy flower is a Hedge Nettle, and it was growing in large numbers in a seepage area at Abbott's Lagoon
The leaves of this odd little plant completely encircle the stem, shielding it, hence the name. It's also a really tiny flower.
Here's a showy member of the Poppy family, which seams fairly well represented in California
This a very bizarre member of the Gentian family. It grows up to 6 feet tall at high elevations. These were ear 9000'
This is a threatened species that was fairly common in Jonathan Dickinson. The flower is much more slender than it is in some of the similar looking species.
Bromeliads are a tropical family with surprisingly few North American examples, though one of them is the extremely prevalent Spanish Moss. Tillandsia is one of the classic genera in the family, with a large number of species based on a similar design to this one.
Here's a beauty of a bromeliad, it brings a touch of the tropics to Southern Florida
