4/2/2011 Email from Jim E.: “What a memorable high-country hike early afternoon, on this balmy but windy day on the US Forest Service’s Elkhorn Creek Trail at ~8,000 ft. Its trailhead was renovated last year (I’d not even known it was there down the Log Cabin Road, which I’ve been on so many times). To my amazement I spotted the first flowers of the season! I could not believe it; had to go back to the truck for my digital camera.
7/26/2010 Email from Linda B: “Hello all, I was weeding in the greenbelt between Mt. Harvard and LaPlatta this morning (filing 8) and came across this plant. This is a new one for me. I couldn’t find a positive ID in my copy of Weeds of the West or in the various materials from the weed district or the state.
It is hairy on the stem, has leaves almost like a potentila, the flower on close inspection is more like a pea than a mustard. If anything, on first glance, to looked to me like a close relative of flixweed (a mustard) but the flowers occur on the tip end of the branches. I counted +/- 5 on one bracket, but they are teeny-tiny. The stem is round and the seed pods look like miniature pea pods….
I will keep this one around in some water for a while if anyone wants to inspect it further. Stop by. I’ll keep it on under my large covered front deck …. My yard of wildflowers is at peak just now too if anyone wants to drive past.”
7/26/2010 Email from Linda B with Renee P’s identification: “Hi all, Renee keyed this out; it is a variety of Descurainia (like flixweed) after all. Here is what she wrote… Interesting isn’t it? Cheers. Linda”
Renee wrote: “For me the odd one keys to Descurainia incana http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=109671
This links shows where it has been reported in co http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/list.php?type=1&taxa=Descurainia+incana&country=&state=colorado&county=&local=&upperlat=&upperlat_NS=N&bottomlat=&bottomlat_NS=N&leftlong=&leftlong_EW=W&rightlong=&rightlong_EW=W&pointlat=&pointlat_NS=N&pointlong=&pointlong_EW=W&radiustemp=&radiusunits=mi&radius=&collector=&collnum=&resetrecordcnt=1&display2.x=33&display2.y=18 ”
7/29/2010 Notes from Ellen: Here is another link with lots of images from “Forestry Images” website (Forestry Images is a joint project of the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, USDA Forest Service and International Society of Arboriculture. The University of Georgia – Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences) http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/subthumb.cfm?sub=12525.
I’ve inserted one here showing flowers and fruits. Descuraina incana is not on our GVM plant list so I will add it. Thanks Renee and Linda!! Has anyone else come across this one?
4/4/2010 Email from Jim E.: “I spotted the bright yellow fungus on False Arabis (Boechera fendleri), a mustard, as I returned from my meadow walk. As Weber and Wittmann describe, “In early spring, the new vegetative shoots are affected by a rust fungus, Puccinia monoica, which produces an aecial stage of yellow-orange pustules that cover the upper leaves. Every spring someone brings this in to ask what kind of wildflower it might be.” Here’s a photo from online….”
Glacier View Meadows Ecology 