Jack has been keeping an eye on the local wildflower patches and the past week has seen a changing of the guard slowly taking place. The earlier arrival of bluebonnets slowly consolidated itself into larger clumps and lusher blooms.
They are being invaded by the next wave, and as they wane and disappear, we are getting a color mixture treat. The evening primroses are slowly disappearing, and their delicate lemon yellow is being replaced with the brighter yellow of Tickseed (Coreopsis lanceolata). this is a later spring bloomer and it looks like we are going to be treated to a good display this year.
The large yellow flowers are pollinated by flying insects such as bees and butterflies. The resulting black seeds are relatively tiny and give the flower its common name. In fact, the word coreopsis means “looks like a bug” referring to the small seeds and is derived from the Greek word koris, meaning bedbug. (Now you know!)
The coreopsis is accompanied by Indian Blanket/Fire Wheels, the yellow, red flowers. (For inquiring minds: Gaillardia pulchella (Asteraceae). They are a prolific, hardy, drought tolerant annual native, form dense colonies, and scatter through the coreopsis without rhyme or reason.
An added accent is provided by the lavender colored wild verbena (Verbenaceae). These species can be found from Canada south to southern Chile, and some are native in Europe. They can come in shades of blue, they may also be white, pink.
All in all a great sight around the outskirts of San Antonio today.
