This month there are quite a few native plants blooming in my yard, one of the least conspicuous is Nemophila parviflora, a tiny annual that grows into a 2' vine, with tiny white flowers and incised leaves-
Nemophila parviflora is in the Borage Family, along with several other local native plants, and in the subfamily Hydrophylloideae, the Waterleaf subfamily. It winds it way through the understory growth and is found along the west coast from Washington to California. It grows in my yard in places where Douglas Fir were logged, especially in places where I have weeded out a lot of the berry vines.
A plant I had wanted for many years turned out to be growing mixed in with some Salal in my yard, and I found it when weeding a couple of years ago- Lonicera ciliosa, native Orange Honeysuckle. It has blue-green glaucous foliage, and the last pair of leaves below the flowers are fused into a bowl shape. They can have around 20 tubular flowers in a cluster, opening sequentially, and are liked by hummingbirds.
In the fall they have clusters of bright red berries-
Well, enjoy the wildflowers that grow in your yard, or plant some!
-Hannah
I love the native honeysuckle! I have red and would love to have some of that orange!
ReplyDeleteI would probably go for the red. But the orange is fun too.
DeleteThe orange honeysuckle is a pretty one. The small native plants like the Nemophila parviflora are so special as they pop up wherever the conditions are right.
ReplyDeleteI like the dainty tiny flowers. There is a Veronica type little flower too that is extremely small but a bright blue. Do you have enough rain there to get wildflowers to pop up, like the California desert?
DeleteI love that native orange honeysuckle, you are so lucky that it is growing in your garden. I've tried to do transplants, bought from the local conservation district sale, but they really don't like being moved. They all died.
ReplyDeleteYou'd think after 18 years I would have seen it, but it's great that I found it. I need to create some trellis or something to raise it higher so maybe I could see hummingbirds visiting it. I also bought a regular red/yellow honeysuckle that is getting high on a trellis. Sorry to hear you couldn't get it to grow. I have trouble with some plants too.
DeleteWhat an interesting plant!
ReplyDeleteMy Honeysuckle is the red-blooming kind. Love your orange!
Lea
Lea's Menagerie
Hannah, That's a luscious lonicera. I so love learning about wildflowers from other ecosystems. Thank you for joining WW.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy having some plants that grow by themselves and are special, to report on. I just wish Vanilla Leaf, Cornus canadensis, and Wild Ginger would grow here too. They should but I've managed to kill them.
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