First Spring Flower

Hi! I'm about to emerge from the Plant a Day hibernation.

Why?

Because I saw my first native wildflower this morning, a lomatium! It was unexpected and thrilling. I didn't have my camera with me but will try to get back and photograph it soon.

Looking forward to a fun season of photographing and identifying more of the Snake Valley flora.

P.S. I just did a search on my blog and found that this was the same flower I saw last year as my first flower. But last year it was March 26, and this year March 6, so we are quite a bit earlier this year (or perhaps last year was quite a bit later due to the very cold spring).

Rubber rabbitbrush-Ericameria nauseosa

This is a shrub many allergy-sufferers come to know all-to-well: rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa previously Chrysothamnus nauseosus). It flowers in the late summer and early fall and is found throughout western North America.

There are lots of cool facts about rubber rabbitbrush, some of which you can find here.

Saltlover-Halogeton glomeratus

One of the common names for this plant is saltlover (Halogeton glomeratus); its genus name Halogeton is Greek for salt neighbor, and is often used as the common name. It's nonnative, found in salty soils, and is considered in many areas to be a noxious weed. It grows throughout much of the western U.S. It concentrates sodium oxalate and is poisonous to livestock.

The stems are often red, and the flowers are small and inconspicuous.

For more info on saltlover, click here.

Burningbush-Bassia scoparia

You might not recognize this plant by its USDA Plants Database name: burningbush (Bassia scoparia formerly Kochia scoparia), but you might know it by its other common names, kochia, ragweed, summer cypress, fireball, and Mexican fireweed. It's native to Eurasia but is now widespread. Although many consider it a weed, it does have some forage, food, ornamental, and erosion control properties.

For more info on burningbush, click here.

Flatcrown Buckwheat-Eriogonum deflexum

This plant blends in well with the gravel, so I had to get down low to get a photo of it so you could get an idea what it looks like. It's flatcrown buckwheat (Eriogonum deflexum), part of the Buckwheat family (Polygonaceae). It grows in the desert southwest.
Flowers are rather inconspicuous.

This is a view of the plant from above.
For more info on flatcrown buckwheat, click here.

Annual Psathyrotes-Psathyrotes annua

A sprinkling of color along the roadside caught my attention as I was walking, and I found what looked like (and is) a native plant, still blooming in mid-September. A closer look at the flowers determined that this is in the Sunflower Family (Asteraceae), and a bit of searching narrowed it down to annual Psathyrotes (Psathyrotes annua). Other common names are mealy rosettes, fanleaf, and annual turtleback. It grows in shadscale communities and is found only in a few western states.

For more info on annual psathyrotes, click here.

Woolyhead Clover-Trifolium eriocephalum

This clover stands apart from other low-growing white ones by having a wooly head, hence the name woolyhead clove (Trifolium eriocephalum). It grows at lower elevations, often in wet meadows or pastures. It is found in the western U.S.

For more info on woolyhead clover, click here.