Anderson's Buttercup - Ranunculus andersonii

 This was my first native wildflower I saw this year. I didn't know what it was, which I have to admit, made it extra special. Thanks to my friend Glenn, I learned it's Anderson's buttercup (Ranunculus andersonii) a member of the Buttercup Family-Ranunculaceae.

 It grows in the western U.S. and prefers sagebrush areas. The petals can be white or pinkish. The stamens and pistils are yellow. The flower is borne on a leafless stalk. The leaves are usually in a basal rosette, with three double-lobed leaflets at the end of a petiole.


 For more info about Anderson's buttercup, click here.

It sure feels good to have a new flower to add to this blog!

Western White Clematis-Clematis ligusticifolia

We don't see many vines out here, but here's one that grows in moister areas. It's western white clematis (Clematis ligusticifolia), part of the Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). It's also been called virgin's bower, old-man's beard, and hierba de chivo. It grows in western North America.

For more info on western white clematis, click here.

Utah Columbine-Aquilegia scopulorum

This high elevation columbine is so beautiful I had to take a lot of photos of it! It's Utah columbine (Aquilegia scopulorum), part of the Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae). As you might guess, it grows in Utah, along with Nevada, Colorado, and Wyoming.

It has long spurs that protrude behind the flower, and the leaves have a bluish tinge and are in tight mats.

Bees and butterflies pollinate these columbine, and you can find an interesting natural history about how Aquilegia crossed the Bering land bridge 10,000 to 40,000 years ago here.


For more info about Utah columbine, click here.

Columbian Monkshood-Aconitum columbianum

Growing up to six feet tall in moist area and producing dark purple flowers is Columbian monkshood (Aconitum columbianum). It's a member of the Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae), although the lower leaves on the plant look almost maple-like.

 
The flowers supposedly resemble monk's hoods, hence the common name.

The petals of the plant are actually inside the protective covering formed by the sepals, along with the reproductive parts. A bee pollinates this highly specialized flower.

I saw buds, flowers, and seed pods all in the same area, showing the different stages all at one time.

Only one species of Aconitum grows in this area, making it fairly easy to identify. It also can form short vines, making it more distinctive.

For more information about Columbian monkshood, click here.

Fendler's Meadowrue-Thalictrum fendleri

This difficult-to-photograph flower is Fendler's Meadowrue (Thalictrum fendleri), a member of the Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae). It grows on mid-elevation slopes, often in shady areas. In the photo above are the male flowers, hanging down in small clusters. (I will have to try to rephotograph this one, none of many photos turned out well). The wind takes the pollen from the filaments. 

The female flowers don't droop, but rather reach up to the sky, and are able to catch the pollen from the male flowers on their stigmas. These flowers have no petals, just greenish sepals, so they aren't conspicuous due to their flowers, but their pretty leaves will often decorate a large area.

For more information about Fendler's Meadowrue, click here.

Pacific Anemone-Anemone multifida

This delicate-looking plant hiding on the cliffside is a member of the Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae), called Pacific Anemone (Anemone multifida). It is also called cut-leaf anemone. It is native to western and northern North America.

Although most of the descriptions I could find on the Internet showed pink flowers, the ones we saw were white.

For more information about Pacific anemone, click here.

Colorado Blue Columbine-Aquilegia coerula

This striking flower is Colorado Blue Columbine (Aquilegia coerula), a member of the Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae). The flower shape is similar to Western Columbine (Aquilegia formosa), but the size of the flower is much larger and the color is not red, but rather white or blue or most frequently, a mixture of the two. 

Part of the reason the flower appears so large is that the sepals (the part underneath the flowers) are also brightly colored and protruding.

For more information about the state flower of Colorado, the Colorado blue columbine, click here. 

Western Columbine-Aquilegia formosa

This striking red and yellow flower is Western Columbine (Aquilegia formosa), a member of the Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae). It's also known as crimson columbine and Sitka columbine. Aquilegia is Latin for eagle and probably refers to the talon-like nectar sacs. Formosa means beautiful.

Western columbine is extremely attractive to hummingbirds and bees. The flower is basically upside down, and each of the five tubular petals end in swollen nectar sacs. The five red sepals flare out like wings. The yellow stamens protrude out of the flower. After pollination, the flowers turn up towards the sky.

The leaves are deeply pinnately-lobed.

To learn more about western columbine, click here.

Delphinium andersonii

This beautiful blue showy family is a larkspur in the Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae). It's Anderson's Larkspur (Delphinium andersonii). Larkspurs fall under the genus Delphinium, which is Latin for dolphin, referring to the resemblance of the flower buds to the swimming mammal. 

This is the only Delphinium species in this particular area, but others are found in other parts of the Great Basin, including D. nuttalium, D. glaucum, and D. occidentale.

This particular flower is more purple than blue. The flowers are about 1 inch long. The spurs coming off the back of the flower are one of the distinguishing characteristics between species.

The sepals are the bright blue part of the flower, while the upper two petals are white and the lower petals are purple. Most of the leaves are basal and palmately divided.

For more information about Anderson's larkspur, click here.

Plantainleaf Buttercup-Ranunculus alismifolius

It was a delightful surprise to walk around a sagebrush/meadow area about 7,500 feet and find the bright yellow flowers of buttercups emerging. This appears to be the plantainleaf buttercup, also called meadow buttercup and water-plantain buttercup (Ranunculus alismifolius), in the Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae).

The snow just melted within the last week, so the ground is still very wet, providing the moisture this flower needs. Because many buttercup flowers look very similar, the leaves are often a key to identification.

For more information about the plantainleaf buttercup, click here.

Bur Buttercup-Ceratocephala testiculata

This pretty little yellow flower is in the Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae--from Latin for frog)--also called the crowfoot family because of the divided leaves. The pretty flower transforms into a sticky bur, thus the common name, bur buttercup (Ceratocephala testiculata). 

It's a tiny plant, usually growing no more than a few inches high, in close proximity to other bur buttercups. It often grows along roadsides and waste areas, but I also found quite a few growing under pinyon pines and Utah junipers.

This annual flower is native to southeastern Europe. It contains a compound that is poisonous to sheep.

Bur buttercup is one of the earliest bloomers, usually showing its color when temperatures reach 45-50 degrees. Although the plant is small on the surface, its root more than doubles the length of the plant. For more information about bur buttercup, click here.