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| Pink Stonecrop |
Springtime in Central Texas brings a host of familiar wildflowers blooming in meadows and woodlands, and along grassy roadsides. But each year the seasonal conditions may vary, based largely on the timing and amount of rainfall. While many species are widespread from year to year, some appear infrequently, others only in certain habitats, and many go almost completely unnoticed.
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| Clasping Venus’ Looking-glass |
Clasping Venus’ Looking-glass or Clasping Bellflower (Triodanis perfoliata) is a distinctive annual that can be found growing in open often disturbed areas, sometimes appearing even in cultivated flower gardens. In April and May, violet-blue, 5 petaled, wheel- to bell-shaped flowers, 0.5 to 0.75 inches across, are set singly in the axils of rounded green leaves that clasp the erect, slender, unbranched stems. Inconspicuous at 6 to 18 inches high, this species is differentiated from five other Triodanis species found in Texas by its almost circular, toothed, clasping leaves.
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| Pink Stonecrop, also called Widow's Cross |
Pink Stonecrop or Limestone Stonecrop (Sedum pulchellum), is a low-growing, apparently rare annual found on rocky ground in full sun, often among cactus and other Sedum species. Smooth, stem-clasping, cylindrical pale to lime green leaves (often with a reddish tinge), to 1 inch long, are densely arranged along the ascending to spreading stems. These stems are topped with horizontally branched inflorescences that bloom from March to May, with numerous 4-petaled, pale pink flowers, to 0.5 inches across. The petals are arranged in a cross-like pattern, giving rise to its other common name of Widow’s Cross. The Travis County population of this species, most often found on hilltops in the Bull Creek watershed, is disjunct by over 150 miles from other more eastern and northern populations, and likely represents the southwestern limit of its native distribution.
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| Heller's Plantain |
Highly overlooked but quite common is Heller’s Plantain or Cedar Plantain (Plantago helleri), an erect annual that grows only in Central to West Texas and in southern New Mexico, typically in shallow, stony soils and on limestone bedrock exposures. From March through May, this species displays unusual, slightly overlapping flowers clustered at the top part of each stalk. The flowers are quite small at 0.25-inches wide, with 4 off-white, nearly translucent petals that have a dark red center. The stalks, to 10-inches high, arise from narrow, linear, basal leaves, to 8-inches long, and both stalks and leaves are softly hairy. This species is can be commonly found along gravelly roadsides, and it is one of the host plants for the beautiful Common Buckeye butterfly.
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| Common Buckeye |
Each spring, remember to look beyond the bluebonnets, paintbrushes, firewheels, and Mexican hats and take a closer look, because you just might be rewarded with one of these beguiling little bloomers!
