Evax verna, a strange little flower

When we spend time looking at trees or wildflowers there is often a tunnel vision for the brightly colored flowers or shiny leaves, or large trees. This tunnel vision can sometimes prevent us from seeing what is right by our feet.

A plant in Austin and extremely prolific in the Madrone Canyon and throughout the Westlake area is called Evax verna. It is often right at your feet and is so small that you pass right over it. The flowers however if you lean down and look closely are the most amazing flowers.

Evax Verna is in the Asteraceae family-- it's a relative of plants like sunflowers and gaillardia. The entire plant is usually less than 3 inches high, and the flower head looks wooly or cotton coated.

Look for it in the area as the first plant you see right next to where you park. I often see it in the edges of parking lots and rocky areas just next to mowed areas.

Evax verna

Evax verna closeup

We will not have a Canyon hike in July, but will hike on August 1. Bring your cameras, binoculars and guidebooks for an interesting morning in the canyon of exploration and inquiry...

Why scientific names are important

I attended a class on native Texas plants the other day and struck up a conversation with another participant about some species of the genus verbena. She was using colloquial names and I was conversing using scientific names. She started referring to a plant called "vervain" and I must have said "verbena"..., "Oh no," she explained the name was vervain. I then proceeded to explain that I probably knew the plant she was talking about was Verbena halei and she could not seemingly understand that the scientific name could be Verbena halei if she knew the plant as vervain and that I must be wrong. Only after consulting her own field guide where it had a color picture of the plant next to the scientific name did she grudgingly admit that perhaps the scientific name might be that. (I still believe she thought that it must have been a misprint).

We (meaning plant people) use scientific names to denote specific species of plants, and to be able to talk about a plant so that everyone involved knows which specific plant is being discussed. What I didn't want to even attempt to explain was that the plant she knew as vervain has as a scientific name :Verbena halei, and that what she knew as verbena the name was Glandularia bipinnatifida. Some things were best left unsaid.

Another time I was at a Native plant society of texas meeting and several people were discussing "cow itch vine"-- within a minute or, so we discovered that we were each thinking of a different plant. There are at least four different plants in Texas that are referred to colloquially as cow itch vine... I never did figure out which one we SHOULD have been talking about.

Botanical scientific names are in a weird version of latin that for the past 250 years scientists have come to codify and use only for referring to plants. There are differences in scientific latin between Flora and Fauna, so everything I say here will refer to the floral side of the ledger.

In another post I will describe the where all these names come from and how you can learn them easily and utilize them in enjoyable botanizing. Oh, and here are a few pictures of Verbena halei and Glandularia bipinnatifida.

Have a good hike,  Jeff.

A strange plant near the Canyon

I discovered today that I have taken 18,000 photographs in the last 6 weeks. All of plants and flowers in Travis county. This is one of the weird ones I have discovered, and this one was just outside Madrone canyon, across Bee Caves on Cuernavaca.

Rhynchospora colorata. It has bicolored bracts and the flower is actually the small bit in the center. The stem look and feels MUCH more like a grass than a sedge. I really had a jaw dropping moment when I first found it. these were about an inch and a half across and in a lawn at just the height of the grass. They were hard to see unless you were right upon them.

I also wanted to thank everyone for the great work put in on the May 2nd workday. We got a lot of stuff out of the canyon and got the roadside cleaned up.

Lamium the first flower of spring

As winter leaves central Texas, one of the first blooming signs is a small plant that can be found in  yards all over town as well as throughout Madrone Canyon. It is usually about 5-10 inches tall, and has both an interesting tubular purple flower and a unique leaf arrangement. Lamium or henbit is one of those pesky plants treated as lawn weeds, but we need to remember that this is its place. It was here before your lawn, and is a survivor plant or weed.

Lamium is a member of Lamiaceae or the Mint family. This is the family of plants that also contains many plants used for cooking like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, marjoram, oregano, hyssop, thyme, and lavender. The family can be identified by square stems and most of the family has paired opposite leaves and tubular flowers. Here is a digital microscope picture of the stem in cross section where you can see how it is square and hollow.

Henbit / Lamium has leaves that wrap around the stem near the upper part of the plant and lower leaves that may have a bit of a stalk. The flowers are a ½ inch long,  light purple and tubular. The leaves are edible and while they don’t have quite the same amount of flavor as other plants of this family, they are a bit peppery.

January welcomes a new year

Given the fluctuation in temperatures and cloudy days, the canyon is already showing signs of spring although we are still facing what will probably be our coldest winter weather. A walk  along the old Bee Cave roadbed reveals two areas of water retention. On the eastern canyon wall (west facing) water has collected from runoff providing a rich soil bed that may help with wild flower development. Erosion is an issue in this area and we hope to work on this challenge in the spring. The north facing canyon wall (below the library building) is where we believe the head waters of Cuernavaca Creek may be located - there is a rich source of plant life in this area as the underground spring is flowing to the surface.

There is another creature that appears to be a bit confused about the season. The Earthstar Fungus (Astraeus hygrometricus) is an ectomycorrhizal fungus that responds to the moisture in the environment. Typically we see these in wet seasons, spring and fall. As the fungus matures, the outer layer opens to reveal a small puffball shaped fungus that is framed by pointed 'star rays.' In dry conditions the rays close to protect the spores inside, a process that can be repeated several times. When the puffball is exposed, falling raining then helps to release the spores. We've had plenty of moisture so sure enough, we have had plenty of spring like days so these earthstars appeared just below the bottom steps of the canyon entrance.

December is for Storing Up

December in the canyon is a time of subtle beauty and unexpected activity. The Madrone trees have been putting out red berries since November and they create a festivity in contrast to the slowly dying plants that are turning shared of brown. Bluebonnet rosettes are plentiful and many other wildflowers are either releasing seeds or setting the beginning of spring plants.

In order to keep the Canyon natural and a happy habitat for native plants, we have been removing invasive species. On November 15th  30 volunteers removed over 100 King Ranch Bluestem grass and at least 12 False Willow trees! The photo to the below captures folks removing KR - hard but very gratifying work.

A new addition to the landscape are the cheerfully decorated Ashe Junipers that can be seen from Bee Cave along the canyon perimeter. As you can see, decorations are falling off, and animals may decide to use these materials for nest building or for other purposes that can harm them. We hope that those who decorate secure objects tightly and return to remove all materials after the holiday season. All decoration debris on the ground will be removed. 

November is still blooming!

The bits of rain here and there have sustained a variety of blooming plants and created some water filled drainage areas appealing to animals.

Shrubby Boneset

Shrubby boneset or white mist flower (Ageratina havanensis) can be seen in the upper trail nestled between Lindeheimer's Silk Tassel and an Ashe Juniper. Hummingbirds, moths and 
butterflies are attracted to this lovely shrubby plant. At the end of its blooming period, Plateau Goldeneye (Viguiera dentata ) adds a smattering of sunlight among the grasses and rocky canyon walls. These plants will provide bird seed well through spring. Combined with the water available the canyon provides a comfortable home for migrating and permanent birds. 

Goldeneye