Wildflowers: Part I

Ghost Ranch 

In early May we had the inside of our house painted in colors to our liking. On the day the kitchen was painted, I packed breakfast which we ate in Lopez Park just up the street and lunch which we took with us to Ghost Ranch and ate at picnic table beneath a huge Siberian Elm. Upon arrival we checked our hiking trail options at the Visitors Center and chose the Chimney Rock hike.  

 

The views and wildflowers were stunning especially after the smoke from the "controlled burn" several days earlier in the Santo de Christo Mountains cleared midday.

With the unusually cool to cold Spring and even though the rainfall was plentiful, the wildflowers this season are rather stunted in statue. BEing a novice at identifying wildflowers here in the Pinon Pine/Juniper forest, while I enjoyed seeking names, I am unclear they are correct. Any of you reading this blog with superior expertise in this area feel free to correct name the below wildflowers.

Stiff Greenthread (Thelesperma filifoliumerma)

Groundsel (Senecio spp.)

Groundsel (Senecio spp.)

Trailing Fleabane (Eregeron flagellaris)

Common Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus)
I have planted two of these shrubs in our
front yard, so I fairly certain I have this identification correct.

Foothills Paintbrush (Castilleja integra)

King's Lupine (Lupinus kingii)

Sierra Blanca Bladderpod (Lesquerella pinetorum)

Scarlet Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus spp.)

Penstemon (Penstemon spp.)

Some plant identification allude me with the resources I have available to me presently.

I am including them in the post for your enjoyment. AND, of course, if anyone who views this post can identify any of the plants pictured, please contact me. Gratitude!

Notchleaf Groundsel or Fendler's Groundsel (Senecio fendleri)

Rushy Milkvetch (Astragalus lonchocarpus)

As I have spent much enjoyable time searching through my meager resources in our home library to identify these stunningly beautiful wildflowers, I did enjoy a frequent