This is my first Dkos diary. Shocking that it will be about flowers. For anyone who knows me, knows that I like flowers a LOT and especially wildflowers. I take no prisoners, but a LOT of pictures. I'm only going to share some of my favorites in this diary as I have a massive backlog of pictures. One thing about taking photos of flowers is that you need a really good camera or need to know the settings better than I do to zoom in and get a lot of detail. So some of these photos are from my phone and some from my point and shoot camera.
A few months ago I joined a couple of flower identification groups on Facebook. These people know their stuff. I'm what you would call a novice, but am learning. It just takes practice and repetition. I've also bought a couple of wildflower identification books. It's best to buy books for your region and not a massive botany book that's in black and white with Latin names only. Well, for the beginner, this is best. The books that I purchased are organized by color. I'm glad that I did buy two different books as each book doesn't have everything. I guess that some people consider some flowers "weeds" and not "flowers." I've really enjoyed learning from the people on the Facebook groups. One group is simply "plant identification," no other discussion is allowed or you can be banned from the group (gasp). Don't even think about posting a picture of a mushroom! There are other groups for that, hmm hmmm. I personally feel that you should be banned for posting pics of purslane and mullein. I don't know much, but I know those two! However, no judgment here as everyone has to start somewhere, right? The other group that I belong to is called "plant ID and discussion." This group you can post just about anything and everything, just to show off pictures of your prize gladiolas or pictures of bugs in your garden and ask for gardening advice. However, both groups highly recommend no discussion of edibility and encourage you to research that on your own. It is also encouraged to do your own research and go and talk to people at your local greenhouses and botanical societies. It is encouraged to do so as these people are highly knowledgeable about plants in your region. With Facebook now being used worldwide, people post from all over the world. And it is interesting to see common flowers that I've seen before but they grow differently in different parts of the world. It is also encouraged to use the proper "latin" name because of the overuse of common names that could overlap into different groups of flowers. Good luck on that one for me though. I'm just working on the common names for now. When posting pictures to these groups for ID, they ask that you really zoom in and include the leaves of the plant and not just the bloom as this really helps to ID the plant.
Why did I suddenly get so interested in learning the names of flowers? Well, it's just for fun. I have started gardening more with a good friend and she knows every weed in the garden. It's interesting to know what you can eat/not eat and what the uses are for different flowers and weeds. It's also up for discussion for what is a "weed" and what isn't. And what purpose that serve as a lot of people see them as a nuisance. Well, weeds actually help aureate the ground and get the soil to breathe. And when we go back to dig up the new weeds that have popped up, it breaks up the soil and gets the plants to breathe more which is good for their growth. I'm still working on what purpose thistle provides though. I do think that it has a pretty bloom, but it's very invasive. It's neat to be able to know the name of the flowers and plants and not just "Hey that's a pretty white flower."
References that I use: Wildflowers of Colorado.. Field Guide by Don Mammoser, Rocky Mountain Wildflowers: Colorado Mountain Club Pack Guide, Facebook groups: Plant ID and Plant ID and Discussion.
So without further ado... some of my favorites...
Western Red Columbine, Piedra/Weminuche Wilderness, Southwest Colorado
Curlytop Gumweed, SW Colorado, Old Fort Lewis
Bladder Campion, Montana, while visiting Glacier National Park
Nodding Onion, SW Colorado, found on Ned Overends trail/Durango Mtn Park, while walking a friend's dog.
Not a wildflower, but the first time that I've seen hops growing. They grow to be over 16 feet tall. SW Colorado, Old Fort Lewis.
Close-up of hops, SW Colorado, Old Fort Lewis. If you squeeze the bloom, you get a delicious aroma.