Wildflower Wednesday...er, Thursday

I have a distressing habit of forgetting to participate in Gail of Clay and Limestone's excellent Wildflower Wednesday meme each month. I always seem to remember it a day or two too late.

Well, it happened again this month. After all, it is Wildflower WEDNESDAY and here it is Thursday already, but I decided, what the heck? I'll participate anyway. Better late than never, right?

I have several wildflowers growing and blooming in my yard right now. Let me show you a few.

This is a wild allium which came up in my yard last year. It was the only one of its kind. I thought it was so attractive that I dug it and potted it up to try to encourage it to multiply. And, here it is, still in its pot and blooming for me again. When it finishes bloom this year, I'm going to plant it in one of my beds. I'm not entirely sure which allium it is. My best guess is Allium canadense, but it could be Allium drummondii. Whatever its proper name, I quite like my little pink allium.

This is another gift of Nature that has seeded itself in my garden this spring. It is Philadelphia fleabane (Eigeron philadelphicus). It's been in bloom for a couple of weeks now and, as you can see, it has several buds which promise more blooms.

This plant has been used in traditional medicines. The dried and crushed parts of the plants are used to make a tea that is beneficial for sore throats, the treatment of stomach ailments, and even for a poultice that can be applied to swelling. I'm not sure where it came from, but I think I'll dig it and plant it in my wildflower bed.

And speaking of my wildflower bed, when it's spring in Texas, it is bluebonnet time. Sometimes we get a few pink bonnets among the blue, as you see here. The bluebonnet is the state flower of Texas.

I grow purple oxalis on purpose in my garden, but its cousin, Oxalis violacea or violet wood sorrel pops up in beds all over my garden. Technically, it's a weed, of course, but it's a very pretty one and unless it is in a particularly awkward spot, I tend to ignore it and let it flower. Which is probably why it keeps popping up around my yard.

Here's wishing you joy with your wildflowers. Next month, I'll try to be on time.