Tag Archives: shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)

A few of my favorite things #4

Spring flowers—and lots of ’em.  This is but a sample from the last few days.  From here on out it’s an explosion of color.  I promise not to share them all at once.

Close-up of blooming Missouri violet (a.k.a. banded violet; Viola missouriensis) (2009_03_07_012109)

Missouri violet (a.k.a. banded violet; Viola missouriensis)

Close-up of blooming roadside blue-eyed grass (a.k.a. dotted blue-eyed grass or southern blue-eyed grass; Sisyrinchium langloisii) (2009_04_11_014922)

Roadside blue-eyed grass (a.k.a. dotted blue-eyed grass or southern blue-eyed grass; Sisyrinchium langloisii)

Close-up of blooming redstem stork's bill (a.k.a. pin clover, redstem filaree or common stork's-bill; Erodium cicutarium) (2009_03_08_012539)

Redstem stork’s bill (a.k.a. pin clover, redstem filaree or common stork’s-bill; Erodium cicutarium)

Close-up of blooming shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) (2010_02_20_049841)

Shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)

Close-up of blooming crowpoison (a.k.a. crow poison or false garlic; Nothoscordum bivalve) (2009_03_08_012511)

Crowpoison (a.k.a. crow poison or false garlic; Nothoscordum bivalve)

Blooming common grape hyacinth (Muscari botryoides [sometimes Hyacinthus botryoides]) (2009_03_08_012623)

Common grape hyacinth (Muscari botryoides [sometimes Hyacinthus botryoides])

Close-up of blooming henbit (a.k.a. henbit deadnettle or greater henbit; Lamium amplexicaule) (2010_02_20_049844)

Henbit (a.k.a. henbit deadnettle or greater henbit; Lamium amplexicaule)

Close-up of blooming Texas ragwort (a.k.a. Texas groundsel, Texas butterweed or Texas squaw-weed; Senecio ampullaceus) (2009_03_07_012215)

Texas ragwort (a.k.a. Texas groundsel, Texas butterweed or Texas squaw-weed; Senecio ampullaceus); note the crab spider in the lower right corner (no name for the little critter as I didn’t pull enough details in any of the photos to make a positive ID, though I can narrow it down to a genus or two)

[all photos from White Rock Lake]

Nature’s handiwork

One need not look beyond nature’s own doing to find beautiful things, exquisite and lovely forms so picturesque that they must be the purest variety of art ever known.

A knot clinging to the base of an ancient colossal tree (20080224_02332)

A knot clinging to the base of an ancient colossal tree.

Morning thunderstorms moving in from the west (2008_12_27_003468)

Morning thunderstorms moving in from the west.

A ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis) at sunset (2009_02_13_008424)

A ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis) at sunset.

An American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) landing on the water (2009_02_14_008604)

An American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) landing on the water.

A white fawnlily (a.k.a. white trout lily; Erythronium albidum) in dappled sunlight (2009_02_22_010626)

A white fawnlily (a.k.a. white trout lily; Erythronium albidum) in dappled sunlight.  (Yes, the flowers always lean down.)

Large, woolly vines grow on some of the larger trees around the lake (2009_03_07_012204)

Large, woolly mature poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) vines grow on some of the larger trees around the lake.

Shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) creates its own alien landscape (2009_03_07_012194)

Shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) creates its own alien landscape.

A mallard drake (Anas platyrhynchos) rests at the base of a reed bed (2008_12_25_003334)

A mallard drake (Anas platyrhynchos) rests at the base of a reed bed.