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  • View from the ground in the middle of a native stand of desert fan palms in the Coachella Valley of Southern California. These towering trees are the only palms native to the western United States, and are also the largest native palm in the contiguous United States. Virtually unchanged for millennia, these living fossils provide shade from the unrelenting sun for many of the desert inhabitants, as well as the promise of nearby water.
    Coachella Valley Oasis
  • The wild poinsettia goes by many common names such as fire-on-the-mountain, paintedleaf, and dwarf poinsettia and is a member of the spurge family native to North and South America, but has spread all over the world. Related to the commercially important poinsettia that we all have come to love at Christmastime, this one was found growing wild among some landscaping at a community park in Palm Beach County, Florida. Many people think the red part of the is the petals, but they are actually just colored leaves called bracts that surround the flowers. You can see the tiny yellow flowers just inside the red bracts.
    Wild Poinsettia
  • One of many gorgeous native western flag irises found growing in the L.T. Murray State Wildlife Recreation Area in Kittitas County, Washington. Historically important to many of the Western Native American tribes, this native iris was used to treat a number of ailments such as toothache or a boost to infant vitality via a poultice.
    Western Blue Flag Iris
  • This huge batch yellow flag iris was found growing along the Yakima River in great profusion the eastern bank of the Yakima River, just north of Selah, WA. Although incredibly beautiful, they are considered a pest as they completely take over river banks. Because they lack the diseases and wildlife that eat them found in their native Europe, they can multiply unchecked - crowding out North American native plants that don't enjoy such an easy advantage.
    Yellow Flag Iris
  • Golden currants ripening in the late afternoon sunshine in Cowiche Canyon, just to the west of Yakima, WA. These native wild edibles were (and still are) used as food for many of the Native American tribes across North America.
    Golden Currant
  • As red as red can get! These intensely-bright small native hibiscus flowers are native to the Rio Grande Valley area along Southern Texas where they will continue to bloom all year long, even in the hottest part of summer just as long as the is no chance of frost. Heart leaf hibiscus flowers are favored by both butterflies and hummingbirds, and withstand long periods of high heat and lack of water. This one was photographed between various brief butterfly visits  just south of Alamo, Texas near the Rio Grande on a warm winter afternoon.
    Heart Leaf Hibiscus (Hibiscus martianus)
  • As red as red can get! These intensely-bright small native hibiscus flowers are native to the Rio Grande Valley area along Southern Texas where they will continue to bloom all year long, even in the hottest part of summer just as long as the is no chance of frost. Heart leaf hibiscus flowers are favored by both butterflies and hummingbirds, and withstand long periods of high heat and lack of water. This one was photographed between various brief butterfly visits  just south of Alamo, Texas near the Rio Grande on a warm winter afternoon.
    Heart Leaf Hibiscus (Hibiscus martianus)
  • This beautiful native member of the pea family has an interesting story. Like all lupines, they have toxic properties, that vary from species to species. The silky lupine is highly toxic to sheep, and moderately toxic to cattle and horses. That said, bighorn sheep rely on it heavily as a food source, as do white-tailed deer, Columbia ground squirrels and other birds, mammals and insects. It seems that while it is toxic to imported domesticated non-native animals, it is completely safe and nutritious for native wildlife that has evolved alongside it.
    Silky Lupine
  • Angiosperms, Asteraceae, Asterids, beautiful, beauty, biennial, bloom, blooming, blooms, blossom, blossoms, botany, bud, bull thistle, Carduoideae, Cirsium, Cirsium vulgare, color, common thistle, Cynareae, dicot, flora, flower, flowers, forb, fresh, green, herb, invasive, native, natural, nature, non-native, Olympia, Onopordum acanthium, pink, plant, Plantae, plants, ruderal, Scotch thistle, Scottish thistle, spear thistle, summer, thistle, Thurston County, vulgare, Washington, west coast, wild, wildflower, wildflowers, Woodard Bay Conservation Area
    Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) 2
  • Angiosperms, Asteraceae, Asterids, beautiful, beauty, biennial, bloom, blooming, blooms, blossom, blossoms, botany, bud, bull thistle, Carduoideae, Cirsium, Cirsium vulgare, color, common thistle, Cynareae, dicot, flora, flower, flowers, forb, fresh, green, herb, invasive, native, natural, nature, non-native, Olympia, Onopordum acanthium, pink, plant, Plantae, plants, ruderal, Scotch thistle, Scottish thistle, spear thistle, summer, thistle, Thurston County, vulgare, Washington, west coast, wild, wildflower, wildflowers, Woodard Bay Conservation Area
    Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) 1
  • The flowers of the California pitcher plant open downward unlike many other species of our native pitcher plants, and this is believed to to keep water out, while allowing pollinators in. Wet flowers tend not to get pollinated. This makes sense as they are native to Northern California and Southern Oregon and if there's one thing the Pacific Northwest gets, it's a lot of rain. These were found growing in a peat bog in rural Josephine County, Oregon near the California border.
    Flower of the California Pitcher Plant
  • The flowers of the California pitcher plant open downward unlike many other species of our native pitcher plants, and this is believed to to keep water out, while allowing pollinators in. Wet flowers tend not to get pollinated. This makes sense as they are native to Northern California and Southern Oregon and if there's one thing the Pacific Northwest gets, it's a lot of rain. These were found growing in a peat bog in rural Josephine County, Oregon near the California border.
    Flower of the California Pitcher Plant
  • The prairie coneflower is a very beautiful member of the daisy family and is found nearly all across North America except Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Kentucky, Virginia and Northeastern United States and Canada and can be found in open prairies and along roadsides. Historically, it has been used as by Native Americans as a cold infusion to treat fever, as an emetic to induce vomiting, and even as an aid to wean nursing babies. The colors of the petals can vary from pure yellow to reddish-brown, or any variation of these colors. Historically, it has been used as by Native Americans as a cold infusion to treat fever, as an emetic to induce vomiting, and even as an aid to wean nursing babies. These were found growing in an open prairie in rural Cibola County in New Mexico, about an hour west of Albuquerque.
    Prairie Coneflower
  • Smooth sumac spreads rapidly once the first plant becomes established in an area. This native member of the cashew family produces very beautiful bright green leaves in the spring that turn to bright scarlet in the winter. Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest traditionally smoked these dried leaves for medicinal uses, such as treating ulcers.
    Smooth Sumac
  • Closeup of salal flowers next to Deep Lake near Enumclaw, WA. Found in many places across the Pacific Northwest, this common native woody shrub is found in forests and woodlands and is of great historical importance to the native tribes who have inhabited the region for thousands of years. The delicious, intensely sweet edible berries that will come later in the summer were used to make dried cakes that would provide nourishment throughout the winter. It is said that cakes of pure salal were reserved solely for the chiefs to eat, and anyone else had to have theirs mixed with other local berries, such as huckleberries or elderberries as was the custom.
    Salal
  • Eggs of one of the species of Pomacea apple snails found in Florida, only the Florida apple snail (Pomacea paludosa) is native. The four non-native species are the island apple snail, channeled apple snail, spike-topped apple snail, and the titan apple snail. Since the eggs of each species can vary in color and size among the same species, it's hard to tell which one these belong to. This cluster of eggs was found in the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Apple Snail Eggs
  • A field of California pitcher plants (Darlingtonia californica) growing in a wet bog in full flower! The flowers of this carnivorous plant open downward unlike many other species of our native pitcher plants, and this is believed to to keep water out, while allowing pollinators in. Wet flowers tend not to get pollinated. This makes sense as they are native to Northern California and Southern Oregon and if there's one thing the Pacific Northwest gets, it's a lot of rain. These were found growing in a peat bog in rural Josephine County, Oregon near the California border.
    California Pitcher Plants
  • A field of California pitcher plants (Darlingtonia californica) growing in a wet bog in full flower! The flowers of this carnivorous plant open downward unlike many other species of our native pitcher plants, and this is believed to to keep water out, while allowing pollinators in. Wet flowers tend not to get pollinated. This makes sense as they are native to Northern California and Southern Oregon and if there's one thing the Pacific Northwest gets, it's a lot of rain. These were found growing in a peat bog in rural Josephine County, Oregon near the California border.
    California Pitcher Plants
  • The flowers of the California pitcher plant open downward unlike many other species of our native pitcher plants, and this is believed to to keep water out, while allowing pollinators in. Wet flowers tend not to get pollinated. This makes sense as they are native to Northern California and Southern Oregon and if there's one thing the Pacific Northwest gets, it's a lot of rain. These were found growing in a peat bog in rural Josephine County, Oregon near the California border.
    Flower of the California Pitcher Plant
  • The prairie coneflower is a very beautiful member of the daisy family and is found nearly all across North America except Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Kentucky, Virginia and Northeastern United States and Canada and can be found in open prairies and along roadsides. Historically, it has been used as by Native Americans as a cold infusion to treat fever, as an emetic to induce vomiting, and even as an aid to wean nursing babies. The colors of the petals can vary from pure yellow to reddish-brown, or any variation of these colors. Historically, it has been used as by Native Americans as a cold infusion to treat fever, as an emetic to induce vomiting, and even as an aid to wean nursing babies. These were found growing in an open prairie in rural Cibola County in New Mexico, about an hour west of Albuquerque.
    Prairie Coneflower
  • The prairie coneflower is a very beautiful member of the daisy family and is found nearly all across North America except Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Kentucky, Virginia and Northeastern United States and Canada and can be found in open prairies and along roadsides. Historically, it has been used as by Native Americans as a cold infusion to treat fever, as an emetic to induce vomiting, and even as an aid to wean nursing babies. The colors of the petals can vary from pure yellow to reddish-brown, or any variation of these colors. Historically, it has been used as by Native Americans as a cold infusion to treat fever, as an emetic to induce vomiting, and even as an aid to wean nursing babies. These were found growing in an open prairie in rural Cibola County in New Mexico, about an hour west of Albuquerque.
    Prairie Coneflower
  • The prairie coneflower is a very beautiful member of the daisy family and is found nearly all across North America except Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Kentucky, Virginia and Northeastern United States and Canada and can be found in open prairies and along roadsides. Historically, it has been used as by Native Americans as a cold infusion to treat fever, as an emetic to induce vomiting, and even as an aid to wean nursing babies. The colors of the petals can vary from pure yellow to reddish-brown, or any variation of these colors. Historically, it has been used as by Native Americans as a cold infusion to treat fever, as an emetic to induce vomiting, and even as an aid to wean nursing babies. These were found growing in an open prairie in rural Cibola County in New Mexico, about an hour west of Albuquerque.
    Prairie Coneflower with Incoming Storm
  • The prairie coneflower is a very beautiful member of the daisy family and is found nearly all across North America except Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Kentucky, Virginia and Northeastern United States and Canada and can be found in open prairies and along roadsides. Historically, it has been used as by Native Americans as a cold infusion to treat fever, as an emetic to induce vomiting, and even as an aid to wean nursing babies. The colors of the petals can vary from pure yellow to reddish-brown, or any variation of these colors. Historically, it has been used as by Native Americans as a cold infusion to treat fever, as an emetic to induce vomiting, and even as an aid to wean nursing babies. These were found growing in an open prairie in rural Cibola County in New Mexico, about an hour west of Albuquerque.
    Prairie Coneflower
  • Close-up detail of the western fairy slipper orchid. Like its counterpart - the eastern fairy slipper (Calypso bulbosa var. americana), the western fairly slipper (Calypso bulbosa var. occidentalis) is an incredibly unusual and beautiful native orchid is one of the first to bloom in the mountainous areas with rich soils and undisturbed evergreen forests. Historically, the corms (similar to a bulb) were eaten as an occasional food source for Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest. This one was photographed along the shore of Lake Wenatchee in Washington's Cascade Mountains.
    Western Fairy-Slipper (Calypso bulbo..lis)
  • Although very beautiful and showy, the yellow flag iris is a pesky invasive European import that is known to block waterways and choke out native plants and wildflowers. This one was found growing along the Yakima River in great profusion, on the eastern bank of the Yakima River, just north of Selah, WA.
    Yellow Flag Iris
  • This beautiful native honeysuckle is commonly found in forests and disturbed areas throughout the Pacific Northwest. As an important food source for hummingbirds, the sweet nectar also attracts moths at night. Native tribes have used the vines for making baskets, and the leaves were used in women's health as a tea to encourage lactation and ease cramps.
    Orange Trumpet Honeysuckle
  • An unusually bright red salmonberry at peak ripeness grows on the edge of Deep Lake near Enumclaw, WA. These native fruits are extremely common throughout the Pacific Northwest and have been important historically as a food source for thousands of years among the different tribes of Native Americans of the region.
    Salmonberry
  • A field of California pitcher plants (Darlingtonia californica) growing in a wet bog in full flower! The flowers of this carnivorous plant open downward unlike many other species of our native pitcher plants, and this is believed to to keep water out, while allowing pollinators in. Wet flowers tend not to get pollinated. This makes sense as they are native to Northern California and Southern Oregon and if there's one thing the Pacific Northwest gets, it's a lot of rain. These were found growing in a peat bog in rural Josephine County, Oregon near the California border.
    California Pitcher Plants
  • The incredibly beautiful and vibrant western azalea is a member of the rhododendron family and native to America's west coast from Southern Oregon area south to Mexico's Baja California. It is found in the forests of the coastal mountain ranges, and the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. This one was spotted blooming near a peat bog just over the California border in rural Josephine County, Oregon. The incredibly beautiful and vibrant western azalea is a member of the rhododendron family and native to America's west coast from Southern Oregon area south to Mexico's Baja California. It is found in the forests of the coastal mountain ranges, and the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. This one was spotted blooming near a peat bog just over the California border in rural Josephine County, Oregon.
    Western Azalea
  • The incredibly beautiful and vibrant western azalea is a member of the rhododendron family and native to America's west coast from Southern Oregon area south to Mexico's Baja California. It is found in the forests of the coastal mountain ranges, and the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. This one was spotted blooming near a peat bog just over the California border in rural Josephine County, Oregon. The incredibly beautiful and vibrant western azalea is a member of the rhododendron family and native to America's west coast from Southern Oregon area south to Mexico's Baja California. It is found in the forests of the coastal mountain ranges, and the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. This one was spotted blooming near a peat bog just over the California border in rural Josephine County, Oregon.
    Western Azalea
  • The incredibly beautiful and vibrant western azalea is a member of the rhododendron family and native to America's west coast from Southern Oregon area south to Mexico's Baja California. It is found in the forests of the coastal mountain ranges, and the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. This one was spotted blooming near a peat bog just over the California border in rural Josephine County, Oregon. The incredibly beautiful and vibrant western azalea is a member of the rhododendron family and native to America's west coast from Southern Oregon area south to Mexico's Baja California. It is found in the forests of the coastal mountain ranges, and the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. This one was spotted blooming near a peat bog just over the California border in rural Josephine County, Oregon.
    Western Azalea
  • Easily the most beautiful of all of the native currants that grow wild in the Pacific Northwest, the waxy current is also one of the most flavorless. I actually ate one of these after the shot and there was no sweetness or taste, just texture which I thought was very strange. Apparently not so to the hummingbirds, who take advantage of these early spring bloomers to feed on the nectar of the tubular white flowers where they might be the only flowers available to them at the time.
    Wax Currant
  • The Rio Grande ground squirrel is a somewhat newly named species that was once thought to be a subspecies of the Mexican ground squirrel, until DNA sequencing showed that it belonged to a completely different genus. Native to South and West Texas, Southeastern New Mexico and much of Northeastern Mexico south of the Rio Grande, this handsome little squirrel is often found standing tall on its back legs as it surveys its surroundings, keeping an eye out for predators. At the first sign of trouble, it is ready to dive down into one of its many burrows at the first sign of trouble. This one was found on the side of an irrigation canal in McAllen, Texas.
    Rio Grande Ground Squirrel
  • Native to South and Southwest Texas, and Center Mexico, this absolutely beautiful tree is a member of the pea family. The Texas mountain laurel goes by many other local names such as frigolito, frijollito, frijolillo, coral bean, big-drunk bean and more. These beautiful flowers blossom in the spring, and will produce what are known as mescal beans with bright red pea-like seeds which are highly toxic to people. This one was found blooming in Harlingen, Texas on a beautiful sunny spring afternoon in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
    Texas Mountain Laurel (Dermatophyllu..ora)
  • A Spanish dagger in full flower! While there seems to be a bit of botanical classification confusion at the time of writing this whether the genus "Yucca" belongs to the Asparagaceae or Agavaceae family of plants, one thing is for sure - this very beautiful and very spiky plant can reach to over 30 feet tall, and the spiky leaves are so sharp, that when the Spanish conquered many parts of the New World and build forts, the Conquistadors planted walls walls of these to help fortify their defenses against attack. Native to Texas, New Mexico and Northern Mexico, the Spanish dagger is also locally common in Southwest Florida. This one was photographed in South Texas near Weslaco in Hidalgo County.
    Spanish Dagger (Yucca treculeana)
  • A perfect trio of flowers of the anacahuita, also known as the wild Texas olive, growing in a field in Harlingen, Texas. This member of the borage family is native to northeast Mexico and only is found in the United States in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Southern Texas. This tree provides fruit and pollen for many types of wildlife - especially hummingbirds! A jelly can be made from the olive-like fruit.
    Anacahuita (Cordia boissieri)
  • This tiny native to Southern Texas and Mexico, the Julia's skipper butterfly can be found year-round and is very easily overlooked due to its small size, and muted coloration. This one was feeding on rose vervain nectar just next to the Rio Grande under some mesquite trees in Hidalgo County, Texas in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge.
    Julia's Skipper (Nastra julia)
  • While looking very similar to our native penstemons in both shape and color, the wooded beardtongue has a couple of minor differences such as its serrated opposite leaves and winged seeds. This beautiful member of the plantain family is found in the mountains between British Columbia and Northern California on the west coast. These were found and photographed above the Carbon River, about 15 miles northwest of Mount Rainier in Washington State.
    Woodland Beardtongue - 1
  • One of the most beautiful and well-known butterflies found around the world, the painted lady is commonly found across all of North America, but only less so in the southeastern-most part of the continent such as Florida and South Georgia. This one was found and photographed feeding on the nectar of the locally native Siam weed in rural Willacy County, Texas - a dozen or so miles from the Mexican border.
    Painted Lady - 4
  • The American red raspberry is an incredibly delicious native and wild fruit found throughout every Canadian province and territory, as well as every American state except for Kansas, Kentucky, Arkansas, Hawaii, and all of the Gulf Coast states. Most could argue that they are even tastier than the commercially grown raspberries found in grocery stores! These were found growing in the mountains above the Carbon River near Mount Rainier, Washington on a hot summer day.
    American Red Raspberry 2
  • Common in ponds and lakes all over Florida and eastern North America, this native spadderdock is often confused with the water lily, and is found as far north as Nova Scotia. The difference between spadderdock and true water lilies is that spadderdock has heart-shaped leaves and small, half-opened flowers and water lilies have round leaves and large showy flowers. This one was found growing in a lake in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Spadderdock2021-1.jpg
  • While incredibly beautiful and also incredibly stinky, the parry's primrose is found blooming in the summertime in very high elevations 8,800 to 13,800 feet (2700 to 4200 meters), often within sight of melting snow. Although common in the Western United States, their range is restricted to Rocky Mountains and cannot be found in the coastal states. These incredibly bright native primroses were found just below the top of the tree line high in the mountains above Aspen, Colorado in Pitkin County at around 10,000 feet in elevation.
    Parry’s Primrose (Primula parryi) - 2
  • This large shade-loving epiphytic fern is native to the tropical eastern coasts of the Americas and the Caribbean Islands. Going by a variety of common names such as golden polypody, golden serpent fern, cabbage palm fern, gold-foot fern, blue-star fern, hare-foot fern and rabbit's foot fern Phlebodium aureum is commonly grown as a houseplant. This one was found growing at the base of a bald cypress tree deep in the Corkscrew Swamp in Southwest Florida's Collier County between Naples and Fort Myers.
    Golden Polypody
  • The firebush is a real beauty of the tropics and is a commonly encountered native shrub in South Florida and many parts of Mexico and Central America. A relative of coffee, the firebush, (also known by many other names such as Mexican firecracker, hummingbird bush, scarlet bush, and redhead, attracts large numbers of butterflies and hummingbirds who feed on the sweet nectar provided by the bright orange and red tubular flowers. This one was found growing in a nature preserve in Palm Beach County in South Florida.
    Firebush
  • The firebush is a real beauty of the tropics and is a commonly encountered native shrub in South Florida and many parts of Mexico and Central America. A relative of coffee, the firebush (also known by many other names such as Mexican firecracker, hummingbird bush, scarlet bush, and redhead) attracts large numbers of butterflies and hummingbirds who feed on the sweet nectar provided by the bright orange and red tubular flowers. This one was found growing in a nature preserve in Palm Beach County in South Florida.
    Firebush
  • The firebush is a real beauty of the tropics and is a commonly encountered native shrub in South Florida and many parts of Mexico and Central America. A relative of coffee, the firebush (also known by many other names such as Mexican firecracker, hummingbird bush, scarlet bush, and redhead) attracts large numbers of butterflies and hummingbirds who feed on the sweet nectar provided by the bright orange and red tubular flowers. This one was found growing deep in the Fakahatchee Strand in the northern part of the Florida Everglades in Collier County.
    Firebush
  • As with so many of our local and native wildflowers, different people have different names for the same plants and Texas bluebells are no different. Also known as bluebell gentian, Lisianthus, prairie gentian, Texas bluebell and showy prairie gentian, this pretty member of the gentian family is found mostly in Texas, with small pockets of them growing wild in Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska and are usually found growing in open grassland. This one in Southern Hidalgo, Texas near Weslaco was damaged by some insect in such an unusual way that I just had to take a photo.
    Texas Bluebell
  • As with so many of our local and native wildflowers, different people have different names for the same plants and Texas bluebells are no different. Also known as bluebell gentian, Lisianthus, prairie gentian, Texas bluebell and showy prairie gentian, this pretty member of the gentian family is found mostly in Texas, with small pockets of them growing wild in Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska and are usually found growing in open grassland. This one in Southern Hidalgo, Texas near Weslaco was damaged by some insect in such an unusual way that I just had to take a photo.
    Texas Bluebell
  • The Rio Grande ground squirrel is a somewhat newly named species that was once thought to be a subspecies of the Mexican ground squirrel, until DNA sequencing showed that it belonged to a completely different genus. Native to South and West Texas, Southeastern New Mexico and much of Northeastern Mexico south of the Rio Grande, this handsome little squirrel is often found standing tall on its back legs as it surveys its surroundings, keeping an eye out for predators. At the first sign of trouble, it is ready to dive down into one of its many burrows at the first sign of trouble. This one was found on the side of an irrigation canal in McAllen, Texas.
    Rio Grande Ground Squirrel
  • Native to South and Southwest Texas, and Center Mexico, this absolutely beautiful tree is a member of the pea family. The Texas mountain laurel goes by many other local names such as frigolito, frijollito, frijolillo, coral bean, big-drunk bean and more. These beautiful flowers blossom in the spring, and will produce what are known as mescal beans with bright red pea-like seeds which are highly toxic to people. This one was found blooming in Harlingen, Texas on a beautiful sunny spring afternoon in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
    Texas Mountain Laurel (Dermatophyllu..ora)
  • A Spanish dagger in full flower! While there seems to be a bit of botanical classification confusion at the time of writing this whether the genus "Yucca" belongs to the Asparagaceae or Agavaceae family of plants, one thing is for sure - this very beautiful and very spiky plant can reach to over 30 feet tall, and the spiky leaves are so sharp, that when the Spanish conquered many parts of the New World and build forts, the Conquistadors planted walls walls of these to help fortify their defenses against attack. Native to Texas, New Mexico and Northern Mexico, the Spanish dagger is also locally common in Southwest Florida. This one was photographed in South Texas near Weslaco in Hidalgo County.
    Spanish Dagger (Yucca treculeana)
  • This pretty little bright red member of the tropical family of wildflowers, Acanthaceae, is native to Florida, South Texas and parts of Mexico, the Yucatán Peninsula in particular. This one was one of many hundreds found blooming in profusion in the Lower Rio Grande Valley near Weslaco, Texas on a warm, late winter morning.
    Sixangle Foldwing (Dicliptera sexang..ris)
  • Although this pricklypoppy is not colored red, the flowers of this South Texas native ranges from dark purple to red, bright pink, fuchsia, light pink to pure white. This one was found in a massive disturbed field with several hundred others in Harlingen, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley.
    Red Pricklypoppy (Argemone sanguinea)
  • This tiny native to Southern Texas and Mexico, the Julia's skipper butterfly can be found year-round and is very easily overlooked due to its small size, and muted coloration. This one was feeding on rose vervain nectar just next to the Rio Grande under some mesquite trees in Hidalgo County, Texas in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge.
    Julia's Skipper (Nastra julia)
  • How beautiful are these rose vervain clusters! This ground cover species of verbena had the butterflies buzzing on a hot late winter afternoon in Southern Texas next to the Rio Grande in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge! Rose vervain is native to the Eastern and South-Central parts of the United States where it can tolerate dry conditions with a lot of heat.
    Rose Vervain (Glandularia canadensis)
  • The rose-bellied lizard (also known as the rosebelly lizard) is a handsome little member of the spiny lizard family and is native to Central and North America with a range from Costa Rica to Southern Texas. This one was found near the edge of a pond in just south of Alamo, Texas.
    Rose-bellied Lizard (Sceloporus vari..lis)
  • The rose-bellied lizard (also known as the rosebelly lizard) is a handsome little member of the spiny lizard family and is native to Central and North America with a range from Costa Rica to Southern Texas. This one was found near the bank of the Rio Grande in Southern Hidalgo County, Texas.
    Rose-bellied Lizard (Sceloporus vari..lis)
  • The rose-bellied lizard (also known as the rosebelly lizard) is a handsome little member of the spiny lizard family and is native to Central and North America with a range from Costa Rica to Southern Texas. This one was found near the bank of the Rio Grande in Southern Hidalgo County, Texas.
    Rose-bellied Lizard (Sceloporus vari..lis)
  • As far as foliage goes, it's hard to beat the beautifully variegated, spiky leaves of the Mexican prickly poppy. As in most wild poppies, it has and intensely colorful bright flower - in this case yellow. Native to Mexico and spreading northward into the central and eastern United States, it has now been found growing in the wild in parts of Ontario and Manitoba where the soil is dry and there is plenty of sunlight! This one was found growing by the banks of the Rio Grande on the US-Mexico border near Alamo, Texas.
    Mexican Prickly Poppy (Argemone mexi..ana)
  • As far as foliage goes, it's hard to beat the beautifully variegated, spiky leaves of the Mexican prickly poppy. As in most wild poppies, it has and intensely colorful bright flower - in this case yellow. Native to Mexico and spreading northward into the central and eastern United States, it has now been found growing in the wild in parts of Ontario and Manitoba where the soil is dry and there is plenty of sunlight! This one was found growing by the banks of the Rio Grande on the US-Mexico border near Alamo, Texas.
    Mexican Prickly Poppy (Argemone mexi..ana)
  • Contrary to the name, Spanish moss in neither a moss, nor is it Spanish. It's a native bromeliad that is closely related to pineapples and air plants found in the tropics and subtropics. This interesting epiphytic plant is most often found hanging from live oaks in the American Southeast, Texas, Mexico and Caribbean Islands where it clings to the bark of these trees by tiny scales on their long thread-like stems. Spanish moss is completely harmless to their host trees, except in some cases where there can be so much of it that it actually blocks the sunlight needed for photosynthesis. This one was found in an area along the Rio Grande right next to the US-Mexico border near Alamo, Texas.
    Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) - 1
  • Contrary to the name, Spanish moss in neither a moss, nor is it Spanish. It's a native bromeliad that is closely related to pineapples and air plants found in the tropics and subtropics. This interesting epiphytic plant is most often found hanging from live oaks in the American Southeast, Texas, Mexico and Caribbean Islands where it clings to the bark of these trees by tiny scales on their long thread-like stems. Spanish moss is completely harmless to their host trees, except in some cases where there can be so much of it that it actually blocks the sunlight needed for photosynthesis. This was part of an enormous patch found in an area along the Rio Grande right next to the US-Mexico border near Alamo, Texas.
    Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) - 3
  • Close-up of the wiry stems of Spanish moss. Contrary to the name, Spanish moss in neither a moss, nor is it Spanish. It's a native bromeliad that is closely related to pineapples and air plants found in the tropics and subtropics. This interesting epiphytic plant is most often found hanging from live oaks in the American Southeast, Texas, Mexico and Caribbean Islands where it clings to the bark of these trees by tiny scales on their long thread-like stems. Spanish moss is completely harmless to their host trees, except in some cases where there can be so much of it that it actually blocks the sunlight needed for photosynthesis. This was found in an area along the Rio Grande right next to the US-Mexico border near Alamo, Texas.
    Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) - 2
  • While looking very similar to our native penstemons in both shape and color, the wooded beardtongue has a couple of minor differences such as its serrated opposite leaves and winged seeds. This beautiful member of the plantain family is found in the mountains between British Columbia and Northern California on the west coast. These were found and photographed above the Carbon River, about 15 miles northwest of Mount Rainier in Washington State.
    Woodland Beardtongue - 2
  • While looking very similar to our native penstemons in both shape and color, the wooded beardtongue has a couple of minor differences such as its serrated opposite leaves and winged seeds. This beautiful member of the plantain family is found in the mountains between British Columbia and Northern California on the west coast. These were found and photographed above the Carbon River, about 15 miles northwest of Mount Rainier in Washington State.
    Woodland Beardtongue - 3
  • While looking very similar to our native penstemons in both shape and color, the wooded beardtongue has a couple of minor differences such as its serrated opposite leaves and winged seeds. This beautiful member of the plantain family is found in the mountains between British Columbia and Northern California on the west coast. These were found and photographed above the Carbon River, about 15 miles northwest of Mount Rainier in Washington State.
    Woodland Beardtongue - 4
  • Holly-like and beautiful, this member of the barberry family is just about to blossom on a cold, wet rainy March morning along a nature trail about 25 miles south of Seattle, Washington. The delicious fruits that will follow (not real grapes) not only grow in great profusion, but are a very important food source for native wildlife!
    Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium)
  • Holly-like and beautiful, this member of the barberry family is just about to blossom on a cold, wet rainy March morning along a nature trail about 25 miles south of Seattle, Washington. The delicious fruits that will follow (not real grapes) not only grow in great profusion, but are a very important food source for native wildlife!
    Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium)
  • One of the first flowers to be seen in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, the Indian plum fills the forest with clusters of beautiful showy white flowers that soon develop small berries that turn from peach to red and finally dark blue or purple when ripe. Although not really a plum, it is a unique fruit that is pleasantly similar in taste to cherries or watermelon. Historically, local Native American tribes would mix these berries with generous amounts of oolichan (an oil from a local oily fish - similar to a smelt) and was popular at feasts. The bark was also used as a medicinal tea. This one was one fo the first of the season, showing itself along side Soos Creek in Kent, Washington, about 25 miles south of Seattle on a chilly, wet March afternoon.
    Indian Plum Blossoms
  • This tiny late-winter bloomer is a member of the figwort family and can be found anywhere in the wet conifer forests between the Puget Sound and San Fransisco Bay in the Pacific Northwest. This one was found growing at the base of a conifer on a wet, cold March mid-morning just outside of Yelm, Washington toward the northern end of its native range.
    Snow Queen
  • One of the most beautiful and well-known butterflies found around the world, the painted lady is commonly found across all of North America, but only less so in the southeastern-most part of the continent such as Florida and South Georgia. This one was found and photographed feeding on the nectar of the locally native Siam weed in rural Willacy County, Texas - a dozen or so miles from the Mexican border.
    Painted Lady - 5
  • The American red raspberry is an incredibly delicious native and wild fruit found throughout every Canadian province and territory, as well as every American state except for Kansas, Kentucky, Arkansas, Hawaii, and all of the Gulf Coast states. Most could argue that they are even tastier than the commercially grown raspberries found in grocery stores! These were found growing in the mountains above the Carbon River near Mount Rainier, Washington on a hot summer day.
    American Red Raspberry 1
  • The American red raspberry is an incredibly delicious native and wild fruit found throughout every Canadian province and territory, as well as every American state except for Kansas, Kentucky, Arkansas, Hawaii, and all of the Gulf Coast states. Most could argue that they are even tastier than the commercially grown raspberries found in grocery stores! These were found growing in the mountains above the Carbon River near Mount Rainier, Washington on a hot summer day.
    American Red Raspberry 3
  • While incredibly beautiful and also incredibly stinky, the parry's primrose is found blooming in the summertime in very high elevations 8,800 to 13,800 feet (2700 to 4200 meters), often within sight of melting snow. Although common in the Western United States, their range is restricted to Rocky Mountains and cannot be found in the coastal states. These incredibly bright native primroses were found just below the top of the tree line high in the mountains above Aspen, Colorado in Pitkin County at around 10,000 feet in elevation.
    Parry’s Primrose (Primula parryi) - 1
  • A close-up view of the interesting fused leaves that form a disk around the honeysuckles flowers (or buds in this case). This native vine is found all over much of the western United States, including British Columbia in several types of coastal to lower-elevation mountain habitats. This particular one was found growing in wild profusion in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest on the eastern side of Washington State's Cascade Mountains.
    Western Trumpet Honeysuckle Buds
  • A close-up view of the interesting fused leaves that form a disk around the honeysuckles flowers (or buds in this case). This native vine is found all over much of the western United States, including British Columbia in several types of coastal to lower-elevation mountain habitats. This particular one was found growing in wild profusion in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest on the eastern side of Washington State's Cascade Mountains.
    Western Trumpet Honeysuckle Buds
  • Close-up of the tiny green flowers of the stinging nettle. While not native to North America, this "uncomfortable" is an unfortunate import from Europe, Asia and Western Africa where it has been stinging people and animals forever and now can be found growing in every state (except Hawaii) and province of the United States, Canada, and even in parts of Northern Mexico. As an act of delicious revenge, when the leaves of the stinging nettle are added to boiling water, the tiny stinging hairs break down resulting in a very healthy and nourishing food source, similar to cooked spinach. This one was found growing above the forrest cliffs of Whidbey Island in Washington State's Puget Sound.
    StingingNettle2020-3.jpg
  • This plant needs no introduction to most of us. I learned about it the hard way while unknowingly walking through a huge patch of it in shorts. While not native to North America, this "uncomfortable" is an unfortunate import from Europe, Asia and Western Africa where it has been stinging people and animals forever and now can be found growing in every state (except Hawaii) and province of the United States, Canada, and even in parts of Northern Mexico. As an act of delicious revenge, when the leaves of the stinging nettle are added to boiling water, the tiny stinging hairs break down resulting in a very healthy and nourishing food source, similar to cooked spinach. This one was found growing above the forrest cliffs of Whidbey Island in Washington State's Puget Sound.
    StingingNettle2020-1.jpg
  • Close-up of the tiny green flowers of the stinging nettle. While not native to North America, this "uncomfortable" is an unfortunate import from Europe, Asia and Western Africa where it has been stinging people and animals forever and now can be found growing in every state (except Hawaii) and province of the United States, Canada, and even in parts of Northern Mexico. As an act of delicious revenge, when the leaves of the stinging nettle are added to boiling water, the tiny stinging hairs break down resulting in a very healthy and nourishing food source, similar to cooked spinach. This one was found growing above the forrest cliffs of Whidbey Island in Washington State's Puget Sound.
    StingingNettle2020-2.jpg
  • This stunning native to western North America  is the only species of it is found natively east of the Cascade Mountains and the Sierra Nevada, it often forms dense, large patches in low spots in pastures, where the tough leaves are avoided by cattle. This one and many others was found growing next to Umtanum Creek between Yakima and Ellensburg, Washington.
    Western Blue Flag Iris
  • Also known as the grassy arrowhead, the grass-leaved arrowhead is a common native aquatic member of the water plantain family found all over eastern Canada and the United States, and across the southwestern states. It is found in marshes, swamps and along the sides of lakes and rivers with muddy soils, and can reach about 6 feet in height. This one was found growing in the Six Mile Cypress Sough in Fort Myers, Florida on a chilly fall evening.
    Grass-leaved Arrowhead (Sagittaria g..nea)
  • The Rio Grande ground squirrel is a somewhat newly named species that was once thought to be a subspecies of the Mexican ground squirrel, until DNA sequencing showed that it belonged to a completely different genus. Native to South and West Texas, Southeastern New Mexico and much of Northeastern Mexico south of the Rio Grande, this handsome little squirrel is often found standing tall on its back legs as it surveys its surroundings, keeping an eye out for predators. At the first sign of trouble, it is ready to dive down into one of its many burrows at the first sign of trouble. This one was found on the side of an irrigation canal in McAllen, Texas.
    Rio Grande Ground Squirrel
  • Close-up of the wiry stems of Spanish moss. Contrary to the name, Spanish moss in neither a moss, nor is it Spanish. It's a native bromeliad that is closely related to pineapples and air plants found in the tropics and subtropics. This interesting epiphytic plant is most often found hanging from live oaks in the American Southeast, Texas, Mexico and Caribbean Islands where it clings to the bark of these trees by tiny scales on their long thread-like stems. Spanish moss is completely harmless to their host trees, except in some cases where there can be so much of it that it actually blocks the sunlight needed for photosynthesis. This small, isolated piece on was found in the Corkscrew Swamp near Naples, Florida.
    Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides)
  • A Spanish dagger getting ready to flower! While there seems to be a bit of botanical classification confusion at the time of writing this whether the genus "Yucca" belongs to the Asparagaceae or Agavaceae family of plants, one thing is for sure - this very beautiful and very spiky plant can reach to over 30 feet tall, and the spiky leaves are so sharp, that when the Spanish conquered many parts of the New World and build forts, the Conquistadors planted walls walls of these to help fortify their defenses against attack. Native to Texas, New Mexico and Northern Mexico, the Spanish dagger is also locally common in Southwest Florida. This one was photographed in South Texas near Weslaco in Hidalgo County.
    Spanish Dagger (Yucca treculeana)
  • A Mexican fan palm growing in an unusual place: right at the edge of a pond in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in South Texas. Native to Baja California and parts of the Sonoran Desert, this very attractive palm has made it around the world in landscaped land and gardens where it can avoid frost. This extremely tough palm is drought and heat resistant and can tolerate the windiest of desert habitats.
    Mexican Fan Palm (Washingtonia robusta)
  • This beautiful native morning glory can be found in every state and province in North America in scattered populations across the United States and Canada. Commonly associated with salt or freshwater marshes and ranging in colors from pink, white with pink stripes to pure white, these beautiful summer bloomers grow on long herbaceous (non-woody) vines. This one was found in full flower on the edge of Soos Creek in Kent, Washington on a cloudy summer day.
    Hedge Morning Glory
  • One of the most beautiful and well-known butterflies found around the world, the painted lady is commonly found across all of North America, but only less so in the southeastern-most part of the continent such as Florida and South Georgia. This one was found and photographed feeding on the nectar of the locally native Siam weed in rural Willacy County, Texas - a dozen or so miles from the Mexican border.
    Painted Lady - 6
  • Common in ponds and lakes all over Florida and eastern North America, this native spadderdock is often confused with the water lily, and is found as far north as Nova Scotia. The difference between spadderdock and true water lilies is that spadderdock has heart-shaped leaves and small, half-opened flowers and water lilies have round leaves and large showy flowers. This one was found growing in a lake in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Spadderdock2021-2.jpg
  • While incredibly beautiful and also incredibly stinky, the parry's primrose is found blooming in the summertime in very high elevations 8,800 to 13,800 feet (2700 to 4200 meters), often within sight of melting snow. Although common in the Western United States, their range is restricted to Rocky Mountains and cannot be found in the coastal states. These incredibly bright native primroses were found just below the top of the tree line high in the mountains above Aspen, Colorado in Pitkin County at around 10,000 feet in elevation.
    Parry’s Primrose (Primula parryi) - 3
  • Also known as the orange mountain dandelion, this native relative to the (non-native) common dandelion is found across most of Western Canada and the United States in mountain valleys and subalpine altitudes. The leaves are edible and can be used for fermented beverages! This one was found and photographed in the mountains above Aspen, Colorado in Pitkin County on a hot summer day.
    Orange Agoseris
  • This South African native succulent perennial with its very attractive bright pink and/or yellow flowers has found its way to both California and Florida thanks to the ornamental plant industry and has particularly found a foothold along Southern California highways, earning it the nickname "highway ice plant." Originally used as a soil stabilizer due to its matting, ground-cover nature it has unexpectedly spread into several sensitive ecological habitats such as coastal communities and desert dune habitats where it quickly outgrows and outcompetes threatened and endangered plants. This one was found growing in a sprawling mat across the sandy beach in Los Angeles, California next to the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Ice Plant Flower
  • This South African native succulent perennial with its very attractive bright pink and/or yellow flowers has found its way to both California and Florida thanks to the ornamental plant industry and has particularly found a foothold along Southern California highways, earning it the nickname "highway ice plant." Originally used as a soil stabilizer due to its matting, ground-cover nature it has unexpectedly spread into several sensitive ecological habitats such as coastal communities and desert dune habitats where it quickly outgrows and outcompetes threatened and endangered plants. This one was found growing in a sprawling mat across the sandy beach in Los Angeles, California next to the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Ice Plant Flowers
  • This South African native succulent perennial with its very attractive bright pink and/or yellow flowers has found its way to both California and Florida thanks to the ornamental plant industry and has particularly found a foothold along Southern California highways, earning it the nickname "highway ice plant." Originally used as a soil stabilizer due to its matting, ground-cover nature it has unexpectedly spread into several sensitive ecological habitats such as coastal communities and desert dune habitats where it quickly outgrows and outcompetes threatened and endangered plants. This one was found growing in a sprawling mat across the sandy beach in Los Angeles, California next to the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Ice Plant Flowers
  • This South African native succulent perennial with its very attractive bright pink and/or yellow flowers has found its way to both California and Florida thanks to the ornamental plant industry and has particularly found a foothold along Southern California highways, earning it the nickname "highway ice plant." Originally used as a soil stabilizer due to its matting, ground-cover nature it has unexpectedly spread into several sensitive ecological habitats such as coastal communities and desert dune habitats where it quickly outgrows and outcompetes threatened and endangered plants. This one was found growing in a sprawling mat across the sandy beach in Los Angeles, California next to the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Ice Plant Flower
  • Also known as the orange mountain dandelion, this native relative to the (non-native) common dandelion is found across most of Western Canada and the United States in mountain valleys and subalpine altitudes. The leaves are edible and can be used for fermented beverages! This one was found and photographed in the mountains above Aspen, Colorado in Pitkin County on a hot summer day.
    Orange Agoseris
  • This South African native succulent perennial with its very attractive bright pink and/or yellow flowers has found its way to both California and Florida thanks to the ornamental plant industry and has particularly found a foothold along Southern California highways, earning it the nickname "highway ice plant." Originally used as a soil stabilizer due to its matting, ground-cover nature it has unexpectedly spread into several sensitive ecological habitats such as coastal communities and desert dune habitats where it quickly outgrows and outcompetes threatened and endangered plants. This one was found growing in a sprawling mat across the sandy beach in Los Angeles, California next to the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Ice Plant Flower
  • This South African native succulent perennial with its very attractive bright pink and/or yellow flowers has found its way to both California and Florida thanks to the ornamental plant industry and has particularly found a foothold along Southern California highways, earning it the nickname "highway ice plant." Originally used as a soil stabilizer due to its matting, ground-cover nature it has unexpectedly spread into several sensitive ecological habitats such as coastal communities and desert dune habitats where it quickly outgrows and outcompetes threatened and endangered plants. This one was found growing in a sprawling mat across the sandy beach in Los Angeles, California next to the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Ice Plant Flower
  • This South African native succulent perennial with its very attractive bright pink and/or yellow flowers has found its way to both California and Florida thanks to the ornamental plant industry and has particularly found a foothold along Southern California highways, earning it the nickname "highway ice plant." Originally used as a soil stabilizer due to its matting, ground-cover nature it has unexpectedly spread into several sensitive ecological habitats such as coastal communities and desert dune habitats where it quickly outgrows and outcompetes threatened and endangered plants. This one was found growing in a sprawling mat across the sandy beach in Los Angeles, California next to the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Ice Plant Flower
  • This South African native succulent perennial with its very attractive bright pink and/or yellow flowers has found its way to both California and Florida thanks to the ornamental plant industry and has particularly found a foothold along Southern California highways, earning it the nickname "highway ice plant." Originally used as a soil stabilizer due to its matting, ground-cover nature it has unexpectedly spread into several sensitive ecological habitats such as coastal communities and desert dune habitats where it quickly outgrows and outcompetes threatened and endangered plants. This one was found growing in a sprawling mat across the sandy beach in Los Angeles, California next to the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Ice Plant Flower
  • This South African native succulent perennial with its very attractive bright pink and/or yellow flowers has found its way to both California and Florida thanks to the ornamental plant industry and has particularly found a foothold along Southern California highways, earning it the nickname "highway ice plant." Originally used as a soil stabilizer due to its matting, ground-cover nature it has unexpectedly spread into several sensitive ecological habitats such as coastal communities and desert dune habitats where it quickly outgrows and outcompetes threatened and endangered plants. This one was found growing in a sprawling mat across the sandy beach in Los Angeles, California next to the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Ice Plant Flower
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