Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: Blue & Purple

When our seasonal pond begins to dry up, lovely flowers pop up from the rich clay there. Last year I discovered a beautiful little flower atop a plant covered with spiky leaves...this year I was waiting in anticipation for the show to commence! What I didn't realize is that there are several species of this flower that grow all in the same place! Jackpot! This blue species is amazing and I loved taking pictures to show off its stunning characteristics. Downy Pincushions are well-named, as their leaves all end in sharp spines! These tiny plants grow low to the ground in a round shape, producing beautiful, prickly bouquets of gorgeous 1/4" blue flowers topped by sparkling white stamens. They are native to southern Oregon and northern California and grow in dry, open habitats. If you would like to know more about this flower, Wiki has a page here: Wiki: Downy Pincushion Plant (Navarretia pubescens) (You'll laugh when you see the picture provided...they really shouldn't have bothered!) General species listing Wiki: Navarretia Explored on October 18, 2012. Highest placement: #63.

What a gorgeous new discovery to find on our property! I was amazed to learn that this is a kind of onion! You may be surprised to find that the "Allium" family is full of lovely species which are very popular garden flowers. I like how the edges of these petals appear to be frosted with sugar! Taper-tip Onions are the most common wild onion in the Pacific Northwest. It ranges in color from palest pink to hot pink, as well as this beautiful hot magenta. It prefers dry habitats and grows fairly low to the ground, about 6"-10" high. The bulbs were eaten by Native Americans as part of their diet. If you would like to know more about this flower, Wiki has a page here: Wiki: Taper-tip Onion (Allium acuminatum)

I am in love with this beautiful lily, and this year there were more flowers than I've ever seen before! I took dozens of pictures over the few weeks they were in bloom and I hope you enjoy the series below! Also known as Harvest Brodiaea and Elegant Brodiaea, this stunning flower grows in meadows and forests of northern California and Oregon. There are several dozen Brodiaea species and we are are home to at least 4 species! If you would like more information about these flowers, Wiki has a small page here: Wiki: Elegant Cluster-lily (Brodiaea elegans) By the way, I've uploaded two other pictures today and I hope you'll visit them too! Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :) Explored on October 17, 2012. Highest placement: #320.

Yesterday I posted a series of pictures of the stunning blue Downy Pincushion Plant. Today I've got a couple of images showing another species, this time in white with a pale touch of blue in the picture below. If you would like to know more about this flower, Wiki has a small source here: Wiki: Mountain Navarretia (Navarretia divaricata) Plant General species listing Wiki: Navarretia

(Please scroll down for two more pictures! :D) Searching our property for new species to include in my counting project has been so much fun and full of surprises too! I had no idea there were wild Lilacs growing on our property!! These light blue flowering bushes were found at the top of our ridgeline and attracted countless insects. It was a shame that the day was so windy as it would have been fun to get some macro shots of the various critters that were busily visiting the blossoms. However, I was happy just to get a few pictures to share! Wild Lilac (also known as Deerbrush) can be found in the Pacific Northwest up to Washington and south to California. It has been used for many things and today the roots are is still used as an astringent and a tonic. The roots can be used to make a dye, and the leaves can be smoked like tobacco. The branches were used by Native Americans to treat women after childbirth, and branches were also used in complex basket weaving. In fact, I found a lovely basket to see! Furthermore, leaves can also be made into an energizing tea ! (A woven basket can be seen there as well) If you would like to know more about Wild Lilac, Wiki has a page here: Wiki: Wild Lilac aka Deerbrush (Ceanothus integerrimus)

2 more pictures above in notes! :) Have you ever grown anything from seeds before? It's really amazing to think that a huge plant could come from a little speck you put in some dirt and added water to! A few years ago, I got a bunch of different flower seeds for my first time and I planted them in little pots on our back deck to see if they would grow. This flower looks like one of the types I planted, so I think some seeds must have blown off the deck and found their way to this little area down by our well house. From Wiki: Phacelia linearis, with the common name Threadleaf phacelia, is a species of phacelia. It is native to western North America from western Canada to Wyoming to northern California, where it grows in forest, woodland, open scrub, and other habitat. A HUGE THANK YOU AND HUG to my ipernity Pod Sister, Pam J, who solved the mystery of this flower, which I couldn't identify!

(Please scroll down to see three more pictures!) Ookow! Ookow! Ookow! Isn't that fun to say?! :D What a great name for a flower!! (a Native American name) This flower is almost identical to another one I posted a month earlier, called the Common Brodiaea. They grow in the same places, but they grow at different times of the year. The Common Brodiaea blooms in early spring, whereas the Ookow grows in late spring and early summer. I always wondered why this flower had such a long growing season! :D Now I know that it's actually two species! :D The lovely Fork-toothed Ookow pops up all over our property, both in the wooded areas and in our meadows too. It's a common perennial flower, which can be different shades of purple and blue-purple, is found in the western United States and northern Mexico. This flower's bulb, or corm, was an important food source for Native Americans. Sometimes eaten raw, they were usually roasted or boiled for a sweeter flavor. Tribes were careful not to harvest too many and would separate corms they dug up, leaving at least one behind so more would grow the next year. They also planted seeds, which grow easily but because it's a perennial, will not flower for several years. An interesting fact: burned areas seems to cause these plants to burst into life afterwards and are sometimes the first plants to show up in a fire-ravaged area! If you would like to know more about this flower, Wiki has a small source here: Fork-toothed Ookow (Dichelostemma congestum)

Finding this flower was another amazing surprise!! Last year I wandered all over our property with my Canon SX130IS, and I found a lot of flowers. I knew I would find many more this year because I was trying to find them all, but I didn't expect to find this lovely flower in our meadow!! I've taken pictures of Penstemons before, but I really didn't think they grew here...SURPRISE!! :D This magnificent flower is called the Lowly Penstemon because it is short, growing only about 4-10" in height. The blossoms measure about 1/3" tall, 1/2" wide, and about 1" deep, and are covered with sticky resin. They grow in the Pacific Northwest. When I took a picture of my first Penstemon last year, I had no idea there were so many species of this flower! In fact, there are over 300, which are found all over North and Central America. They are extremely popular as garden flowers and have been cultivated extensively for many years. If you would like to know more about this flower, Wiki has a nice introduction here: Wiki: Penstemon I found a very nice page here as well: Rob's Plants: Penstemon There's also the American Penstemon Society , which is brimming with information and pictures! :)