Rough Mules Ear

The Rough Mules ear grows in the south east quarter of the state of Utah. It has these beautiful yellow flowers. These photos were taken in Arches National Monument near Moab, Utah. Another one of the plants that grow without much rain fall. These were growing in sandy soil. There are nearly 4,000 different native plants and trees in Utah.

Eriogonum umbellatum, Sulfur Buckwheat

This is called the Sulfur Buckwheat. The Latin name for it is Eriogonum umbellatum. It is a striking flower in the late spring. There are large populations that turns a whole hillside yellow. the plant is fairly short, but the flower spikes may get twelve inches tall. In the garden and in the desert it grows with only the water that falls from the sky. In my area that may be 10-20 inches of annual rainfall.

Fallugia paradoxa, Apache Plume

The flowering Fallugia paradoxa was astonishing this year. This is not the flower but the plumes of the seed. The plumes emerge from the white with a pinkish glow which then turns white. There are a few flowers on through out the summer. This has been growing in my yard since about 2000. It was started from seed, transplanted into a tube, and then transplanted to its present location.

Penstemon palmerii, Palmer's Penstemon

This is a great specimen located at the parking lot exit at the visitor's center at the Dead Horse Point near Moab, Utah. Penstemon palmerii or Palmer's Penstemon. It is very tough. Here a seed was lodged in a crack of the asphalt, and began to grow. There are very drought tolerant. It is one of the few penstemons that have an order. Walking past patch of them is a pleasant olephactory experinece. They are a welcome plant in the landscape. Over water them and they get root rot and die.

Indian Rice Grass

This is a picture of Indian Rice grass with a small Monroe Globe Mallow in the front. This is an attractive bunch grass that looks great all summer and into the winter. It takes many years to get a specimen that looks like the photo. It will seed the first year and each year after will add additional stems. It is used in some place as food. It will make dough without gluten.

Monroe Globe Mallow

This is a great plant. It is seen in a lot of different areas of the Mountain west, particularly after wet spring. If dead headed and water monthly during the summer, there will be a lot of flowers. It will reseed itself. One of the first plants that bloomed well for me was cut out during the fall clean-up. I was quite disappointed over that, but the next spring it came back, plus some seedlings.

Scarlet Gillead

Evening Primrose

This plant has large yellow flowers that bloom in the evening when it is cooler. The flowers remain open all night and then close when it gets hot the following day. It grows with only the rain that falls from the sky after it is established. After several years there are a lot of blooms, and blooms most of the summer.

Sand Verbena

A very beautiful perennial that blooms all summer if there is adequate water. I the water is not sufficient, it will bloom only in the spring. A garden of these produces a very pleasant odor. These grow in sandy soil in many different areas in Utah. Those in Utah are white, but in the southern Nevada they are blue.

This is a cute wild flower that grows in the low foothills north of Holden, UT. It is an interesting annual that grows in sandy soil. I have some seed of it that I home to get to grow in my yard and may become naturalized

Beaver Tail Cactus

This Beaver Tail Cactus is growing in our garden. The start for this came from an area near Bunker ville, NV. It has grown here for several years. It had its best bloom this year. It has no needles.

Evening Primrose

This is an evening primrose located a little west and north of Baker Nevada. It was early in June when I was at the American Penstemon Society Meeting in Ely, Nevada. Part of the group went to Baker and the surrounding areas. We found this and a bunch of other wild flowers.

Flower

Penstemon tidestromi

A very pretty blue penstemon. It almost looks metallic. There are five different kinds of penstemons growing in this area. This is a new one to me, and I will be planting it this winter.

Penstemon barbatus

penstemon comarrhenus

Penstemon comarrhenus is 18 to 24 inches tall. An older plant has many stems filled with light lavender flowers. When many plants are in the same group, a great display is presented. The pictured penstemon was growing in an area that recieves about sixteen inches of annual rainfall.

Fringe Sage

This shrub grows to two feet. Gray-green in color. They grow in a number of different places in Utah, but this picture is of a plant in the San Rafael Swell. An excellent foundation plant that will do well on the south side of a home of solid fence. Does not need any irrigation after established. A monthly watering during the summer will keep it looking fresh.

Solidago canadensis, Golden Rod

This yellow flower blooms in the fall. Has the beautiful yellow flowers that hold their color for several weeks and then the seed heads remain until winter. It spreads rizomously which helps prevent erosion on steeper slopes. Can get quite thick if watered to frequently. A monthly watering in the summer is adequate. This is doing really well in my yard. Its been growing for nearly ten years. The on pictures is a single plant that might be a couple of years old.

Blazing Star

BLAZING STAR
Here is another native flower that survives on very little water. It truly looks blazing. There is a single stem with numerous flowers that bloom at different times.

Penstemon angustifolius, var. dulcis, IPP Sandhills

Penstemon angustifolius, var. dulcis, IPP Sandhills

This penstemon is located near Delta, Utah. It grows in very dry conditions. Good for areas where the annual rain fall is sparse.

From time to time I remember things that have happened to me. These I will write down.

Waiting for my Mother and Father

There were many times in the evenings that my mother and father would go to some activity and leave us kids at home. I must have been some what anxious about that. I believe that I was less than ten years old. I don't remember any of my brothers or sister at home, but I am sure that I was not alone. There was a couch in the front room next to the window facing the east. After it was dark and when my parents should be coming home, I would kneel on the couch looking out the window watching for my parents. I would see the lights of a car coming. Hoping that it would be my parents, the car would drive right on by. Pretty soon I would be able to see the lights of another car. That car would also drive by. After a time a car would pull into our driveway. I was relieved to have them home again.

Punishment

The front door was on the east end of our house. The road was on the south side. There was an irrigation ditch between the road and the house. The driveway crossed the ditch and went north back toward the out buildings and the corals. I was walking with my mother and dad towards the out buildings. I don't remember what I did, but my mother spanked. I laughed and said, "That did't hurt." My dad then spanked and it hurt.