R. David Morrow's Hiking and photography site: March 2020

I decided to put all my flower photos from the NV desert on a blog page. I have another page of Mt Charleston flowers. I tried to group like flowers together. There is no search function on this site. I have tried to group similar types of flowers, Phacelias are first, followed by Cryptanthas, Then daisy/composit/sunflowers, then gilias, primroses, Bushes, lastly cactus.

This is the common Notch Leaf Phacelia. It is found in most areas around Las Vegas. There is another type called Beautiful Phacelia, or Scorpion weed that is more pink in color and doesn't have all the protruding stamens, or notched leaves. They are more rounded leaves. The lower leaves on the notch leaf plant are more deeply notched than the upper leaves.

Another Notch leaf Phacelia.

The other Phacelia. Beautiful Scorpion weed. Some of the Phacelias are said to be irritants and should not be touched.

Beautiful Phacelia, or Scorpion weed show the leaf shape.

Closer view of the Beautiful Phacelia. Notice the lack of protruding stamen and the reddish colored stems and leaves.

Round leaf phacelia with a hiking stick tip for sizing.

Round leaf phacelia

Freemont phacelia, or yellow throat

Small field of yellow throats

Not a phacelia. A Purple Mat flower. Looks like beautiful phacelia but grows along the ground.

Purple Mat

This is a cryptantha. They are found everywhere and there are many kinds. All are prickly and have very small flowers. Usually white but sometimes yellow. This is called Nevada cryptantha I think. It's flowers are in little fuzzy balls on the end of the stems. They are hard to see,. This photo is very close.

Nevada Cryptantha showing the fuzzy balls on the end of the branches where the flowers grow.

Roughseed Cryptantha?

Golden Cryptantha

Another yellow cryptantha?

This is another cryptantha. The ones with larger flowers with a yellow center are sometimes called popcorn flowers.

Another cryptantha. This one has it's flowers on the tip of little buds. I don't know its exact name. There are several that look the same to me in my three Mojave flower books, and on the NV wildflower app on my phone.

Wooly daisy, or Wallace daisy. Comes in white or yellow. Usually about 2 inches tall. Usually found in sandy or rocky flats in small groups but can cover large areas in a good year.

This is a large group.

White Wooly Daises

Yellow Wooly Daises

Rock Daisy

Desert Chicory

Side view of the Desert Chicory. Many of the white and yellow flowers similar to this require this view to ID them. It could be Gravel Ghost, White Tack stem, or faded Mojave Aster.

White Tackstem looks just like desert chicory but for the little glands on the stem. Chicory stems are smooth.

Bud of a Chicory

Gravel ghost. It looks like a Chicory, or a white tack stem except for the basal leaves which lie on the ground and have purple blotches. See next photo. The leaves can be small or large.

Gravel Ghost leaves.

Mojave Aster

Colors vary on Mojave Asters. some are almost white.

Suspected Golden Aster.

Rock Nettle

Globe Mallow

Sand Blazing Star

Desert Gold

Dainty Desert Hideseed. Very small, hard to see while standing

Desert Plantain. Very common but not very conspicuous.

Windmills. Bright pink sprawling on the ground. Not like any other flower.

Broadfruit Combseed. This is the seed. The flower is small white and looks like a cryptantha but not as prickly. You can see these in Valley of Fire very early in the season when the only green you can see is the sparse grasses under the creosote bushes.

This is a Gilia. Probably Rock Gilia. Very small flowers (1/4 inch) about 4 inches tall. Pink flowers with blue stamen.

Closer view.

Star Gilia. Looks like the pink Rock Gilia except for the color and leaves.

Star Gilia leaves.

African Mustard. Not native.

Milkvetch. Don't know which variety.

Palmer Penstemon. Common along roadsides

Palmer Penstemon

Utah Penstemon

Pepperweed

Bearpaw Poppy. Rare poppy found in Gypsum/alkali soils.

The leaves of the Bearpaw poppy are identifiable even without any blooms.

Bearpaw Poppy

Pygmy Poppy

pygmy poppy

Prickly Poppy

Manzanita

Biscuit root

Turpentine Broom. First bush to bloom in Valley of Fire.

Turpentine Broom.

Bigelow Monkey Flower

Little Red stem Monkeyflower

Little Red Stem Monkey Flower

Clustered Broomrape

Lewisia Maguri, Bitterroot

Lewisia Maguri

Lewisia Maguri, Bitterroot

Lewisia Rediviva, Bitterroot

Spring Beauty

Spring beauty leaves

Spring Beauty

Desert Holly

Rush Milkweed

Desert Milkweed

Green Milkweed

Heermans wild buckwheat

Bristly Gilia

Bristly gilia

Desert Linanthus

Giant Blazing star

Small Blazing star

Blazing star

Joshua tree

Evening Primrose

Yellow cups, Primrose

Milkvetch

milkvetch

Yerba Santa

Amsonia

Purple sage

Purple Sage

Purple sage

Mortonia

Sun Ray. Grows in Alkali soil near Bearpaw poppys

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Rhatny

Sun Ray

Ground Cherry

Ground cherry

Milkvetch

A different Milkvetch

Bladderpod

Nevada Biscuit root

Wedge leaf Draba

Rockcrest

Rock crest

Phlox

Filaree

Spiny Menodora

Desert Anemone

Desert anemone

Desert five spot

Samd Verbena

Ephedra

Pygmy Poppy

Desert Marigold

Mojave Yucca

Twist Flower?

Coyote Tobacco

Coyote tobacco

Sand wort

Desert trumpet

Toadflax

Blue Flax

Paper Flower bush

Desert Almond

Ephedra

A Buckwheat

Rattlesnake weed

Banana yucca

Desert marigold

fillaree

Amsonia

California Buckwheat

Scarlet Gaura

Scarlet gaura

Wire lettuce

Indigo bush

Desert larkspur

Chia

Dwarf lupine

Mexican sage or paper bag bush

Cheese bush

Brittle bush

Utah, narrow leaf yucca

Ground Cherry

Funnel lilly

Fremont pin cushion

Mariposa lilly

Cliffrose

Apache Plume

Cliff golden bush

Teddybear Cholla

Not Nevada but Utah instead. Sausage leaf Flame Flower

Pretty Shooting star, Primula pauciflora

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Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Nevada desert wildflowers

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