Here are two more wildflower photos from this week. They are both non-traditional, but they both show wildflowers in pretty unique circumstances. They serve as a nice reminder that life and beauty can be found everywhere on our wonderful planet.

First is a field of sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) next to a restaurant in Kyle. This field is right along the I-35 access road. Sunflowers are native to the Americas and were taken to Europe in the 16th century. It is a commercial crop, mainly for the oil, but the leaves are used as cattle feed. Most people don’t think of sunflowers when they think native wildflowers, but they certainly are.

Field of Sunflowers

The area has been rapidly undergoing development in the last few years. I fear that soon there won’t be any empty fields along I-35 Kyle. It’ll be our great loss, but most of us will not notice.

Here’s a pretty field of sedum on our property. I was on a  hike this morning with my friends, Jaci Kroupa and her son Jesse Huth. They were conducting a bird survey on our property, which they’ve done annually for three years. I was along mainly as a guide, but I learn a lot from them.

I call this photo Sedum Spill because it looks like someone took a can of yellow paint and spilled it on the ground. The sky was overcast and just as we were approaching the sedum, the sun peaked out from behind the clouds and lit the area!

Sedum Spill

This sedum is very low-growing, not more than an inch or two high, but it puts on quite a show with its bright yellow flowers. The plants themselves are a light green and have fleshy leaves. Sedum is also known as stonecrop, and the term is fitting here, because this area of our property looks like a large slab of rock.