BLACKBERRIES AND WILDFLOWERS

...only you can't see the blackberries very well. Mathieu and I went walking down the fenceline a couple of days ago and picked what were growing on this side of the fence and what we could reach from the other side. They are growing in a massive thorny tangle all over the ground in the tall grass and thick brush. No one else uses them, except the birds. There were still plenty of green ones and red ones that will be ripening over the next few weeks. Mat took half of them home to eat as they are. I used my half in a couple of smoothies.
On the hike back, we picked wildflowers. There are so many. There are no bluebonnets on that end of the property and we only saw one Indian paintbrush along our path, but there were plenty of turkey peppers (western peppergrass), beebalm, coneflower, silver leaf nightshade, and plains fleabane. There were others too, but we didn't pick any short stemed ones. I put them in a clear jar on the kitchen table. Pretty!

WILDFLOWER WALK PART 1

Each spring, I always have visions of making a photographic record of each and every wildflower blooming in our 'yard', complete with positive identification of the ones whose names I am not familiar with... but I never get it done. Some years I have used a sketchbook instead, but still only get a few pages done. This year is shaping up to be no exception. Mathieu and I took a few of my little dolls and started off by walking just on the east side of the house.
Leopard girl is wondering what kind of flowers these beautiful bright purple ones are. They are growing thickly all over this year.
Pink Fairy makes herself at home in the gorgeous Indian Paintbrushes. These are my favorites, I think.
This little Munchkin boy, from the Lillipop Guild is looking worried in these Showy False Dragonhead wildflowers. These are everywhere this year. As you drive along the highways, you can see them in pastures where they look like really large ponds. They really do resemble light blue water in such large groupings.

Peter Pan and Leopard Girl pause for a rest by this dandelion flower. The dandelions are seriously taking over everyone's yards this year.
Ugh and Crank always do things the hard way. They went straight to the prickly pear and agarita. No wonder they are always in such bad moods.