Purple Loosestrife

Lythrum salicaria - My small stand of lythrum lies
behind the berm in the front garden. It is tame there and is not spreading.
In the northeast it is dangerously invasive crowding out many native species.
7-30-09

Globe Amaranth

Gomphrena globosa - I love these flashy little purple globes.
They are native to Panama and Guatemala. They do well in full sun
in the ground or in a container. My ten year olds were beginning
to flag so I bought some new ones that are thriving.
7-28-09

Wave Petunia

)Petunia x hybrida Solonaceae Family This is a very popular
container flower which will last all summer. All it really needs
is water. It was developed by the Kirin Brewing Company in Japan.
I don't know how it goes with sushi.
7-27-09

Blue Star Creeper

Lobelia - It survived the great hail storm
of 2009 and is thriving. It is said to bloom all summer. Some
have called it ruthlessly invasive so I am keeping it in a container.
7-24-09

Mariposa Lily

Calochortus gunnisonii. Also Sego Lily. Calochortus is Greek
for beautiful grass. These lilies were by the Cub Lake Trail in
Rocky Mountain National Park.
7-21-09

Humming Birds

We bought a $9 humming bird feeder
and attached it to the deck rail at Solitude.
We then enjoyed the show for the rest of our stay.

Humming birds (Trochillidae) are among the world's
smallest birds. They can flap their wings 12-90 times
per second and can fly at 34 miles per hour. They
are the only birds that can fly backwards.
7-21-09

Fireweed

Epilobium angustifolium - In the Onagraceae
family of the class magnolia. Known for its ability to
colonize burnt over areas, This flower leans over a stream
on the Cub Lake trail in RMNP.
7-21-09

Wild Rose

Rosa woodsii. This beautiful pink rose was on the
trail to Cub Lake in RMNP.
7-21-09

Wooly Actinella

Tetraneuris brevifolia. Aster family. The flower
has three teeth on the tips of the rays. They grow in rocky areas
of the tundra. The leaves are simple small silvery and hairy.
7-20-09

Snow Buttercup

Snow Buttercup Ranunculus adoneus. Snow buttercups exhibit suntracking or heliotropism.
The stalks of the flower move with the sun carrying the flower heads and this occurs because of
differential cell growth. The stalks bend eastward in the morning and gradually unbend during
the course of the day. Photoreception occurs in the middle region of the stalk 1-3 cm below the
flower. This is due to 40% increased growth on the shaded side of the stalk and corresponds
to significantly longer epidermal cells on that side in contrast to the sunlit side.
7-18-09