Sabino Canyon Never Quits

Just  when you think that there will be nothing new to see, Ned's Nature Walk troupe turns up a host of new flowers courtesy of Ann the plant guru. 

This is a Triangleleaf Bursage that has both male and female parts on the same plant.

Here we have a fine stand of Cryptantha or Popcorn Flower.

This is a bush called Mormon or Texas Tea.

Here is a Tansey Mustard backed by the leg of Ann's jeans.
The flower is on top and the fruit spirals on down the stem.



This is an Odora.  Crush some for a smell that some people find lovely and others odious.  

Indian Mallow   (Look closely and you can see some of the seeds resting in their cases.

 

This had been one of our mysteries last week.  Now we know it is a Trixis.  Thin dark grey green leaves.

You just have to love the Lupines

 

This is the ground hugging Elegant Lupine.  They have gorgeous leaves as well as nice purple flowers.

 

Here is the more normal Desert Lupine

The Common Cocklebur  was ready to attach itself to anything or body that brushed it.

 

Finally take a peek at two new to us yellow blooms.

Nestled among some grasses just off a bridge in a wet area are some Yellow Monkey Flowers.

And with my vote for most elegant of the day Tansey Asters

 

 Not new to us but still starting to appear in colorful clusters are the Mexican Gold Poppies

 

 

 

Fred, our butterfly expert, wasn't with us today but we saw two exciting new species anyway.

A Red Admiral literally posed on the shoulder of one of our walkers.

And we're pretty sure this one is a White Checkered Skipper nectaring on some Fiddlenecks.

 

 

The best bird of the day was this Black Tailed Gnatcatcher. All fluffed up he looks like a little cotton ball.

 

TODAY'S MORAL:  THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW UNDER THE SUN IN SABINO CANYON.