Tag Archives: Botany

Friday Flower: Crystallofolia (“Frost Flowers”)

While hiking the middle stretch of the Ozark Trail’s Wappapello Section, my friend Rich and I witnessed a bounty of crystallofolia, or “frost flowers”.  These fragile, yet exquisite formations are, of course, not flowers at all, nor are they true … Continue reading

Posted in Asteraceae, Lamiaceae | Tagged , , , , , , | 33 Comments

BitB Best of 2009

In my first post of 2009, I looked back at the photographs I had posted during 2008 and picked some of my personal favorites. I hesitated then to call myself a photographer (and still do), but I at least now … Continue reading

Posted in Apidae, Arachnida, Asilidae, Cicadidae, Cicindelidae, Coleoptera, Conopidae, Diapheromeridae, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Phasmida, Reptilia, Scorpiones | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Great Plains Ladies’-tresses

First things first—everyone who participated in the quiz in the previous post correctly identified the orchid flower in the photo as belonging to the genus Spiranthes, and a few were on the right track with their species suggestion of S. … Continue reading

Posted in Orchidaceae | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Friday Flower: Yes, it’s an orchid…

…but what kind? Identifying the genus should be relatively easy, but I suspect a species identification will be more of a challenge.  I’ll provide a little information and even a couple of literature sources that might be useful for achieving a … Continue reading

Posted in Orchidaceae | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Berry Go Round #21

Welcome to Berry Go Round issue #21.  As a first time host of this – or any – blog carnival, I can tell you that it has not only been more work than I could have imagined, but also a … Continue reading

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

North America’s most beautiful longhorned beetle

I’ve written a few posts in recent weeks highlighting some of the more interesting finds encountered during two visits this past July to the White River Hills region of extreme southwestern Missouri. It’s a land of extremes, with deeply dissected … Continue reading

Posted in Cerambycidae, Coleoptera, Sapotaceae | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 34 Comments

Friday flower – Sabatia angularis

During my explorations of the glades in the White River Hills in southwestern Missouri this past July, I noticed large populations of a flower that I couldn’t recall having ever seen before.  Vivid, striking pink petals with contrasting yellow anthers … Continue reading

Posted in Gentianaceae | Tagged , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Friday flower – Krameria lanceolata

I encountered few insects this past June on the dry slopes of sand shinnery oak shrubland that just makes it into the northwestern corner of Oklahoma’s Four Canyon Preserve – insect population levels were still depressed from the wildfire that swept … Continue reading

Posted in Krameriaceae | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments