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As we wandered the wetlands surrounding the Colorado river, I became fascinated by the unusual shape of the pods on this
tree, and learned later it is a Screwbean Mesquite (Prosopis pubescens):
I finally got these flowers narrowed down to Asteraceae: Gaillardia: Aristata
I was having trouble deciding between Gaillardia: Aristata and Gaillardia: Pulchella. They are very similar in appearance.
However, the pulchellas are smaller (2 in, 4-6 cm), whereas the aristatas are (3 in, 7 cm). Not
only that, the aristatas are perennials, and so come back each season. Julia further confirmed my decision when she
remembered seeing a map for the park, listing 'aristata' as one of the varieties.
close up of Asteraceae: Gaillardia: Aristata
Julia saw this hummingbird first:
There he is, full zoom, 100% pixels
All photos © Joan Lansberry
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