Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Gaillardia aristata

Quite a few years ago, I took a photo of a much more closed, hairy bud and found it fascinating and beautiful. I looked through my plant books but just could not find any photo that looked like mine. It was several years later that I discovered that it was a Gaillardia bud. Love these flowers in all their stages. Taken on 20 June 2012, when I was on a walk on Nose Hill, in NW Calgary. "Gaillardia /ɡeɪˈlɑrdiə/, the blanket flowers, is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family, Asteraceae, native to North and South America. It was named after an M. Gaillard de Merentonneau or perhaps Charentonneau, an 18th-century French magistrate who was a patron of botany. The common name may refer to the resemblance of the inflorescence to the brightly patterned blankets made by Native Americans, or to the ability of wild taxa to blanket the ground with colonies. Many cultivars have been bred for ornamental use." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaillardia

Though this wildflower tends to be seen everywhere, I love seeing it. This flower head is still at the "tubular" stage, which I think is my favourite time to see them. Eventually, the tubes will split open. Photographed this one on our wonderful day of botanizing at the Medicine River Wildlife Centre, Spruce View, Alberta.

This beautiful Gaillardia wildflower was a popular plant as far as these very tiny insects (Thrips - thanks Lynette!) were concerned. These large flower heads are always a joy to see, adding such bright splashes of yellow to any walk in our natural areas. I photographed this one (and a few others) in Weaselhead on 18 July 2012. "Thrips (Order Thysanoptera) are tiny, slender insects with fringed wings (thus the scientific name, from the Greek thysanos (fringe) + pteron (wing)[citation needed]). Other common names for thrips include thunderflies, thunderbugs, storm flies, thunderblights, and corn lice. Thrips species feed on a large variety of sources, both plant and animal, by puncturing them and sucking up the contents. A large number of thrips species are considered pests, because they feed on plants with commercial value. Some species of thrips feed on other insects or mites and are considered beneficial, while some feed on fungal spores or pollen. So far around 5,000 species have been described. Thrips are generally tiny (1 mm long or less) and are not good flyers, although they can be carried long distances by the wind. In the right conditions, many species can exponentially increase in population size and form large swarms, making them an irritation to humans." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrips en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaillardia_aristata

Happened to notice this small Gaillardia flower just beginning to open, when I was on a three-hour walk in a local park yesterday morning. It was on the edge of the creek bank, overlooking the water. I like these flowers at all stages of their life : ) Thanks, Rebecca, I meant to say that I was posting early today because I have a long, afternoon walk and then, if it doesn't rain, I might drive a few of the gravel roads south of the city this evening. Later: no, I just collapsed at home for the day, after all.

This photo was actually taken in a friend's garden (they grow many species of wildflowers), but yesterday, three of us saw many of these gorgeous wild Gaillardia on a full-day hike in Kananaskis. They tend to vary from plant to plant, which makes them even more interesting. This native plant grows June-August in prairie grasslands, roadsides and dry, open areas. It is a member of the Aster family. Yes, I survived the full-day hike yesterday, though my body isn't moving quite like it should today, LOL. The scenery was spectacular and the wildflowers just wonderful. Two of us were taken to this trail by a friend who had been there a handful of times before. Both guys have had a lifetime of walking and hiking - and then there was me, LOL. However, we were stopping constantly to search for plants, record them and photograph them, so it was not a brisk-walking hike, thank goodness, otherwise I wouldn't have gone. Lost count of the number of times I glanced at the mountain sides to check that there were no Grizzly Bears in sight, though one had been along our trail at one point, turning over large rocks to see what was underneath. Thanks, David, for sharing this special place with us, and thanks for your patience with a slower walker : ) I SURVIVED!!

I think this is the first Gaillardia flower that I have seen this year. Though not yet fully open, I always think that the hairy buds are very attractive. This one was growing at Shagnessy Heights Park this morning.

Still quite a while before Gaillardias will be in bloom. I wonder how many more snowfalls we will get between now and then : )

These large yellow wildflowers always brighten up any natural area.

Wondering why the butterfly wasn't flying away as I approached, I realized that it had been caught by a Crab Spider who now had lunch.

A Gaillardia that is a little different, found on the beautiful Ann and Sandy Cross Conservation area just south of Calgary.