Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Field Horsetail

I believe I am correct in saying that this is Equisetum arvense, commonly known as Field Horsetail or Common Horsetail - the spores are contained in this beautiful cone-like strobilus. This macro image was taken on 21 May 2013, NW of Calgary, along the edge of a gravel backroad. I always think that the tiny "plates" look rather like flowers with their "petals".

Field Horsetail, also known as Common Horsetail may have sterile or fertile stems. My photo, taken on May 19th at Susan Wright's property south of the city, shows the tip of a fertile stem, which has a spore-bearing cone (up to 4 cm). Caribou, moose, sheep and bears eat this plant. "Sterile stems start to grow after the fertile stems have wilted. The sterile stems tend to be much taller and bushier, with the jointed segments being around one inch (2.5 cm) long with a diameter of about 1/20th of an inch (1 mm). These segments contain one set of whorled, slender, erect branches each. Some stems can have as many as 20 segments and be as tall as 2-24 inches (5–60 cm). The fertile stems tend to be half as tall as the sterile stems and also tend to be more succulent." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equisetum_arvense