As published in the Abiquiú News in 2020.
See what is blooming in
April, May, June, July, August, September and October.
Browse by color:
Pink, White, Blue/Purple, Yellow, Red/Orange

---

October 16, 2020

The final blog of the 2020 season is not a bloom, it is the bright leaves of the Thicket Creeper, a woody vine with five toothed leaflets. It spreads across the ground and can climb to the top of a utility pole, up a tree or along a fence using branched tendrils. It actually blooms in June with tiny greenish flowers growing in clusters. The flower stalks turn bright red, the fruit turns dark blue and the leaves turn bright orange-red. It is very similar to the Virginia Creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, which grows in the eastern US. Traditionally the berries were eaten. The Jemez mixed berry juice with white clay to make purple body paint for the summer dance. The Navajo used it as a ceremonial medicine and to create a remedy for swollen arms or legs. Woody stems were used on ramadas for shade. Source.

---

October 9, 2020

Another of the sunflowers that seem to flourish in our area, the Prairie Sunflower grows to three feet tall with a hairy stem branching near the top. Leaves are bluish-green, rough in texture and usually lance-shaped, with stalks. The showy flower head is over two inches across and has 7 to 15 petals and a reddish-purple center. The bracts under the flower are lance-shaped and hairy. The Prairie Sunflower is very similar to the Common Sunflower but is much smaller and more slender. Traditionally the seeds were saved and eaten, and sometimes ground as meal. The Hopi used the plant as a spider bite medicine and the Navajo sprinkled a flower infusion on clothing for good luck in hunting. Dried flower petals were mixed with corn meal to make a ceremonial face powder for women. Source.

---

October 2, 2020

Wild Rocket grows to two feet tall with mostly basal leaves. The leaves are long and narrow with deep lobes and are edible. Bright yellow flowers with four rounded petals grow in clusters at the end of light green stems. Wild Rocket was introduced from Europe in ship’s ballast in the last century. It is native to the Mediterranean area but can be found throughout much of the temperate world where it has naturalized or is grown for salads and herbal garnishes. The leaves taste peppery, clean, and sharp, quite different from the more familiar cultivated arugula (Eruca vesicaria). They make an excellent addition to a mixed salad but are too strong to be used in quantity on their own. The plant is very productive, producing leaves from early spring until the autumn.

---

September 25, 2020

Broom Ragwort grows two to three feet high with an open, airy appearance and many woody, leafy stems. The leaves are narrow, the ones lower on the stems often wither away before flowering time. Numerous flowers, about one inch across with 5 or 8 petals, bloom in spreading, flat-topped clusters. Flowers are followed by feathery seeds, like those of the common dandelion. Traditionally the Zuni ceremonially rubbed an infusion of powdered root on limbs for 'aching bones’ and used drops of an infusion of blossoms for inflamed eyes. The Hopi used a poultice of flowers and leaves for sore muscles, pimples and skin diseases. The Navajo used the root bark for chewing gum. Source.

---

September 18, 2020

When it is young and blooming the Russian Thistle is not so unattractive with its reddish stems, green leaves with a white spine and tiny flowers surrounded by pale to rose pink spiny bracts. It gets ugly when it matures. It can grow to 4 feet tall, usually 3 feet, in a rounded clump with many-branched stems and is the most common kind of tumbleweed. The plant dries out as the fruits develop, then breaks off at the base of the stem and is blown about by the wind, dropping seeds as it rolls, as many as 250,000 per plant, and piles up against fence lines. The shoots of young plants can be harvested and eaten. Young plants are also used for sheep and horse fodder. Navajos used an infusion of plant ashes for smallpox and influenza. A poultice of chewed plants was applied to ant, bee and wasp stings. Source.

---

September 11, 2020

This common, faintly aromatic and attractive sagebrush grows to 4 feet tall and wide with arching, feathery, silvery-blue foliage. Leaves and stems are covered with silvery hairs. The leaves are thread-like and differentiate it from Big Sagebrush, also common in our area, which has three-toothed, wedge-shaped leaves. Like other sagebrush, the flowers bloom late in the season and are tiny, yellow and inconspicuous but produce a lot of pollen. It was used medicinally for boils, indigestion, and as a snakebite remedy. It was also used for ritual purposes. Being quite soft it was employed as a substitute for toilet paper. Source.

---

September 4, 2020

Woolly Prairie Clover grows sprawling to two feet wide and six inches high with small, densely woolly, divided leaves. Small purple flowers with long white stamens and golden anthers grow in an erect spike about two inches high. The Navajo applied a poultice of the plant to centipede bites and Hopi children ate the sweet root as candy. Source.

---

August 28, 2020

Puncture Vine is a low, creeping plant with many hairy branches that spread quickly forming a mat over three feet across. Leaves are divided into pairs of leaflets with silky hairs. Tiny yellow flowers, ½ inch across, produce a fruit that is hard and spiny and breaks into burs which look like a goat’s head. These sharp, strong spines can injure bare feet and the mouths of grazing animals and easily penetrate thin shoes and bicycle tires. It is considered noxious in Colorado and other states. It should not be put on the compost pile because seeds remain viable for 10 years. It is used as medicine by cultures around the world, including modern use as a dietary supplement to enhance athletic ability and for conditions such as chest pain, eczema, enlarged prostate, sexual disorders and infertility. However, there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses. Source.

---

August 21, 2020

Prairie Spiderwort grows to 20 inches tall with long, narrow, arching, grass-like leaves. Flowers grow in clusters and can be pink, purple or blue opening in the morning for a day. They are one to two inches across with three roundish petals and six stamens with long blue hairs topped by golden anthers. The cells of the stamen hairs of Prairie Spiderwort are normally colored blue, but when exposed to neutron radiation or other forms of ionizing radiation, the cells mutate and change color to pink. Thus the plant can be used as a bioassay for radiation. Source. There were bright pink flowers blooming on the trail. Native Americans ate the tender shoots of the Spiderwort as greens and used infusions of the root as a diuretic, an aphrodisiac, for internal injury and in a cut on the head 'to stop craziness'. Source.

---

August 14, 2020

This common annual weed grows from two to seven feet tall, making it hard to miss. It is identifiable by its solitary, upright, leafy stem which ends in a many-branched flower head of numerous tiny white and yellow flowers. The leaves are long and narrow becoming smaller as they ascend the stem. If you look closely at the flowers you will see that they have rays, though the white ray petals are only about 1 mm long. Although rather uninteresting in appearance Horseweed has many traditional uses. Young leaves and seedlings are edible. Dried leaves can be used as a seasoning with a tarragon-like flavor. An essential oil is used to flavor candy, condiments and soda. Horseweed was boiled to make steam for sweat lodges, taken as a snuff to stimulate sneezing during the course of a cold and burned to create a smoke that warded off insects. It is said to be a very effective treatment for bleeding hemorrhoids. A tea from the leaves was used to treat dysentery and a tea from the boiled root for menstrual issues. Horseweed has also been called Fleabane because the leaves put in pet’s beds help to get rid of fleas. Source.

---

August 7, 2020

Nodding Buckwheat grows from 2 to 20 inches high, usually about 10 inches, with many delicate, airy branches. It is quite common but easily bypassed because it has such tiny flowers. The leaves are roundish and low on the stem. The tiny flowers have white to pinkish ruffled petals and dangle from slender stalks that are less than 1 inch long. The whole plant turns maroon with age. Seeds were gathered by the Navajo (Diné) people, pounded into a meal, and eaten dry or made into a porridge. It was also used to treat rashes, kidney disease, and ant bites. Source.

---

July 31, 2020

This sweet flower is easy to miss amongst the grasses and sedges at water’s edge. Wild Mint grows from 6 to 18 inches tall with square stems. It has tiny lavender flowers growing in whorls where the upper leaves join the stem. The leaves are aromatic with a fresh minty flavor and are used to make tea and as an herb in various cuisines. According to Greek mythology, a beautiful nymph named Mentha was cursed by the goddess Persephone and turned into a Mint plant. Wild Mint has long been used as a folk remedy for a broad range of ailments, including gastrointestinal problems and sore throats. It has been found to have powerful antimicrobial, antifungal and antioxidant effects. Mint is used in food, drinks, indigestion aids, anti-inflammatories, cough medicines, creams, toothpaste, mouthwash, cigarettes, and more. An extensive list of uses can be found here.

---

July 24, 2020

Hooker's Evening Primrose grows from three to six feet tall. The stem is stout and usually reddish with many long, narrow, willow-like leaves. At its top is a cluster of showy yellow flowers, two to three inches across, with four large petals and protruding yellow stamens. Only one or two flowers open at the same time. The flowers are fragrant, open late in the day and wilt the next morning, turning orange. The leaves, seedpods, and roots are edible. The seeds produce an oil that is said to reduce inflammation and is used in soaps and pharmaceuticals. Source.

---

July 17, 2020

The Bull Thistle grows to six feet tall with many spreading branches. It has masses of long, dark green, intensely spiny leaves and many large, prickly flower heads at the end of the branches that are up to 2 inches high. Below the flowers are many long, stiff, yellow or green spines. It is an invasive weed and considered noxious in New Mexico. Nevertheless the purple flower heads are striking and this magnificent Two-tailed Swallowtail butterfly was enjoying the nectar. Bull thistle root can be eaten and is best used when mixed with other vegetables. Young flower stems can be cooked and young leaves can be eaten in a salad or tossed into a sauté. The taste is somewhat bland and the prickles need to be removed from the leaves before the leaves can be eaten! The flower buds can be cooked and used like globe artichokes, but they are smaller. Bull thistle seeds can be roasted. Source.

---

July 10, 2020

Grassleaf Lettuce grows to 3 feet with a single, erect stem that has a milky sap when broken. The long narrow leaves grow mostly on the lower half of the stem, the lowest leaves are broader and have shallow lobes. The blue to lavender flowers have toothed petals. They resemble Chicory but Chicory flowers are larger and grow from the stem rather than the tops of branches, and the Chicory plant is taller. The seed head is a dandelion-like plume of white fluff.  It is related to the lettuce we put in our salads, young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked but have a bitter taste.

---

July 3, 2020

Here is another yellow shrub that at first glance looks like a small version of the widespread Chamisa, but a closer look reveals some differences. It only grows to about two feet tall compared to the Chamisa which can be from two to nine feet tall and scruffy. Its straw-colored stems have few branches and are not white hairy. Leaves are narrow and up to two inches long with smooth edges and sometimes shallow teeth. Flowers have a faint, sweet fragrance and grow in dense clusters at the top of the stem. Flowers grow in a round cluster with no petals and 8 to 21 yellow disk flowers, Chamisa has only 5 disk flowers. Southern Goldenbush is poisonous to livestock. It was used by Native Americans as a lotion to heal an infant's navel, a poultice was applied for muscular pain and leaves were chewed for coughs. Source.

---

June 26, 2020

This is a Public Service Announcement! Do not touch any part of this plant because it is the “most violently toxic plant in North America” according to the USDA Agricultural Research Service. It is very similar in appearance to other members of the Parsley/Carrot family, some of which are edible or medicinal, so avoid all unless you are an expert. It grows from two to seven feet tall with stout, hollow stems. Leaves are divided into toothed, lance-shaped leaflets. Distinguishing features of the Water Hemlock are the prominent veins in the leaflets that end in the notches between the teeth and the purplish spots at the base of the stem where it meets the ground. Flower clusters of tiny, white flowers are 3" to 6" across. All parts of the plant are toxic, particularly the root. Browsing livestock can easily pull a root from the soil when browsing new green growth. A single section of root can kill a cow, hence the common name of Cowbane. Despite its toxicity it was used by Native Americans as an insecticide, for sterility if ingested, ceremonially, to help with broken bones and bruises, and as a poison for hunting. Source.

---

June 19, 2020

Although common along local waterways Water Speedwell is hard to spot because of its small flowers. It usually grows sprawling to two feet with erect flower stems growing from the base of the leaves and the end of the branches. Leaves have small teeth, clasp the stem and are up to three inches long. Tiny flowers are ¼ inch across and grow in clusters of 30 or more flowers. The flowers have four lavender blue or violet petals with purple lines and two long stamens. Leaves are edible raw or cooked and are rich in vitamin C. They have a subtle flavor and can be added to salads or used as a potherb. When used in salads they go better with a lemon dressing than vinegar. The root and the leaves are used medicinally to improve appetite, as a blood tonic, to improve urine flow, in the treatment of scurvy, and to treat burns and skin ulcers. Source.

---

June 12, 2020

Yerba Mansa grows to 12 inches high with waxy, mostly basal leaves which form a dense ground cover. Flower heads are a fragrant, showy, cone-shaped spike over one inch long surrounded by four to nine white to reddish petal-like bracts. The spike consists of about 100 densely packed greenish flowers which have a small white bract but no petals. In the fall, the whole plant turns brick-red in color. Yerba Mansa is an important medicine plant used as a disinfectant, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and a general anti-microbial. It is used as a treatment for wounds, cold and flu symptoms, pain and inflammation, as well as lung, circulatory, urinary, and digestive tract ailments. Tea made from the leaves and roots is used to treat uterine cancer, ease menstrual cramps, induce conception, staunch excessive bleeding after childbirth and as a treatment for other gynecological conditions, and to treat venereal sores and ulcers. Source.

---

June 5, 2020

The Rose Heath is neither a rose nor a heath. Its dainty white flowers look like daisies but are not daisies, although in the same family. It grows in groups of plants to 6 inches high with many slender stems, often forming a compact mound. The simple narrow leaves are heath-like and hairy. Its petals curl under in the evening and after rain. Native Americans found a variety of medicinal uses for the petite Rose Heath. The Havasupai used it as a gastrointestinal aid, the Hopi used it to aid ‘a sore nose’, as a panacea, a sedative, a stimulant and for determining the sex of a baby, the Navajo used it for kidney and bladder disease, and as a toothache and snakebite remedy and the Zuni used it as a cold remedy and for swelling and rheumatic pain. Source.

---

May 29, 2020

Airy and delicate in appearance, Scarlet Beeblossom grows to 1½ feet tall and wide with thin branches from the base. It can form large colonies in disturbed areas and is considered a noxious weed in California. Leaves are narrow and grow close to the branches. The flowers are about ½ inch across and grow in a long cluster, often nodding at the tip. Flowers have four spoon-shaped petals which are initially white, becoming pink then red as they mature and wither. Eight long white stamens are tipped with red anthers. It is not toxic or strongly medicinal. The Navajo made a cold infusion (tea) for children to settle their stomachs after vomiting. The Lakota rubbed it on their hands to catch horses, apparently horses were curious about the smell so let people get close. Source.

---

May 22, 2020

For most of the year you will walk past this twiggy, unpretentious shrub but at this time of the year, when it is in bloom, it is very conspicuous. It grows to about three feet tall with blue green to olive green branches and twigs growing at odd angles. Plants are either male or female and produce cones for reproduction rather than flowers. The photo is of the bright yellow, pollen-producing male. The species serves as food for wildlife and is eaten by livestock, especially sheep. This species of Ephedra has no ephedrine or pseudoephedrine and has no medicinal qualities; the commercial drug ephedrine comes from an Ephedra which grows in China or is produced synthetically. People of the Mormon faith brew a tea from these plants by steeping the stems in boiling water, giving it its common name. Source.

---

May 15, 2020

This is one of six species of Globemallow that grow in our area and is the earliest bloomer. Also coming into bloom now is the Small-leaf Globemallow which is taller and has triangular leaves. Scarlet Globemallow grows from 4" to 16" in large patches, usually about 8" high. Leaves are deeply divided into three or five then divided again and can appear grayish-green from the fine silvery hairs that cover them. Sometimes the edges fold in making them appear even narrower. Flowers grow in a dense cluster at the end of the branches and have five orange petals forming a cup or saucer shape. The fruit produced is shaped like a cheese-wheel and splits apart into segments like an orange. Its common name of Cowboy’s Delight is said to come from the delight its bright colors gave to a cowboy in a dull, arid landscape. The Teton Sioux used it ceremonially. A paste was used as a cooling agent for burns, scalds, and sores. A tea was used as a lotion for skin diseases, and a tonic to improve appetite. The Navajo used a tea for improving the taste of bitter medicinal herbs. Crushed leaves were used as a poultice for skin irritations and as a shoe liner for blistered feet. Source.

---

May 8, 2020

Blue Flax grows to over two feet tall with wiry, slender stems branching out from the base.  It often can be found growing in large patches. Leaves are small and grayish-green. Flowers are one inch across and open in the morning for just one day. Color varies from pale blue to almost purple with a silky sheen. Native Americans consumed the seeds for their flavor and nutrients. A tea made from the stems and leaves was used to treat various medical problems such as eye infections, stomach disorders, and swellings. Livestock exhibits a state of drowsiness when feeding on Blue Flax. Blue Flax was used to make strong rope. Today a cultivated flax is still grown for its "linen" fiber and "linseed oil". Source.

---

May 1, 2020

The Wild Plum grows to 15 feet tall as a small tree or as a large shrub forming thickets. The branches are thorny and the leaves are finely toothed. The upper surface of the leaves is dark green, the underside is pale. Pure white flowers bloom before the leaves in round clusters and have five petals and a slightly unpleasant fragrance. Flowers are followed by round fruits, plums, one inch across which can be yellow or red. Although the plums can be eaten raw, the quality is somewhat poor, the fruits are better used for preserves and jellies. Wild plums have toxic substances in all parts of the plant except the fruit but traditionally many parts are used for medicinal purposes. A tea made from the inner bark is used as a wash to treat various skin problems and as a mouth wash to treat sores, a poultice of the inner bark is disinfectant and is used as a treatment on cuts and wounds, it has been used to make a cough syrup and an infusion has been used in the treatment of diarrhea, kidney, bladder complaints and in the treatment of asthma. It also works well as a mild laxative. A green dye was made from the leaves and a red dye from the roots. Source. 

---

April 24, 2020

Golden Currant is a non-spiny shrub with stems 4 to 5 feet tall and lobed leaves. The sweetly scented flowers are tubular, about 1 inch long and golden-yellow when fresh, but turn orangish to violet with age. The berries produced are golden turning to red or black and are edible. Also known as Buffalo Currant, it was an important food source for the Plains Indians. The fruits were eaten fresh or dried and mixed with dried buffalo meat or venison to make pemmican. The berries can also be converted into jams and jellies. Numerous animal species consume the fruits and nectar-loving birds such as orioles have been observed eating the flowers. Source.

---

April 17, 2020

This beautiful little plant grows low to the ground with 5 to 11 silky leaflets. Flowers are showy, bright pink/purple with a lighter center and over 1" long. Seed pods are curved and covered in silky, white hairs. The Astragalus genus is very large and individual species are usually identified by their seed pod rather than their flower or leaves. Many varieties of Milkvetch grow in this area. Specific uses for Newberry’s Milkvetch are unknown, but other species in the Astragalus genus have many uses. The plant is considered poisonous, especially to stock and horses, however, medicinally a decoction of the whole plant is used as a wash for the head, hair and whole body, the plant is used for stomach disorders and as a gargle for sore throats, a poultice of crushed leaves is applied as an ointment for animals with urination troubles, an infusion of the root is used as a wash for sores, granulated eyelids and toothaches, also seeds are used for food, and pounded seeds are mixed with other foods and used as a spice. Source.

---

April 10, 2020

Spring Parsleys are early bloomers with fleshy, pale grey-green leaves divided into lobed leaflets and branched flower heads surrounded by papery bracts which have purplish veins. Flowers are dull-white or purplish with long, purple-tipped stamens. It grows close to the ground with flower stems up to 5" long. Leaves are divided into 3-6 pairs of leaflets. Traditionally the plant was eaten like celery and the large roots were ground into flour to make bread and biscuits giving these plants the common name of biscuitroot. Source.

---

April 3, 2020

The first bloom of this season is tiny and greenish so not easy to see. Mistletoe is a parasite of Junipers. It grows in 8 to 14 inch balls and looks very similar to the juniper leaves with smooth, branched, yellow-green stems. The leaves are tiny and scale-like. The female flowers are followed by small, round white to light pink berries. It has been used traditionally to make a tea to treat stomach problems and as “bad medicine for wizards”, the berries were used as a famine food, the branches were used to make a textile dye and for treating warts, and an infusion of the plant was used as a childbirth aid. Source.

---

To comment, please email me.