Wildflowers of New Mexico

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The autumn desert.. sometimes the seed heads are just as beautiful as the blossoms. 🌾💛✨ chamisa, apache plume, grama, pu...
10/23/2025

The autumn desert.. sometimes the seed heads are just as beautiful as the blossoms. 🌾💛✨

chamisa, apache plume, grama, purple aster, winterfat, big sagebrush, sand sagebrush.

10/12/2025

Happy SATURNday 🪐 Last weekend it was the aspens (mountains), this weekend it’s the chamisos (deserts), and stay tuned for the cottonwoods (valleys). I mean, sure.. a New England fall is majestic and all, but we get 3 very beautiful and very different versions of autumn every year. And I think that’s pretty neat yo! 🌼💛🍂🪐

THIS!!! This is my most recent example of how native plants do what they want. They might take what feels like forever, ...
10/03/2025

THIS!!! This is my most recent example of how native plants do what they want. They might take what feels like forever, but they eventually come through. Yesterday evening I was brought to such joy when I noticed two baby limoncillo plants (Pectis angustifolia) peeking out of the soil. About 3-4 years ago, I took a small handful of seeds from a nearby arroyo and spread them in my front yard. So to those of you who received seeds from me last year — if your germination rate wasn’t what you hoped, all you need is a little faith and lot of patience! 😆 I’m hoping that these few plants will eventually become a front yard carpet of limoncillo during monsoon season!

In New Mexico’s high country, gentians ( ) are alpine specialists, recognized by their striking blue, tubular flowers th...
09/15/2025

In New Mexico’s high country, gentians ( ) are alpine specialists, recognized by their striking blue, tubular flowers that bloom late summer in cool, moist meadows and forest edges.” You can find it growing between ~8,000–11,000 ft.

Gentians are famous worldwide for their intensely bitter roots—traditional medicines used to stimulate digestion and strengthen vitality. While most people know gentian as a European herb, several native species grow right here in New Mexico’s high elevation mountains. Here, gentian root tea was traditionally used to treat stomach troubles and appetite, supporting the widely held notion that Gentian is a healer of the gut.

I’m not sure which species this is — most likely either affinis or parryi.

Sooo many wildflowers photos, sooo much resistance to spending time on IG 🥴😜 (and the algorithm punishes me for it). A t...
09/11/2025

Sooo many wildflowers photos, sooo much resistance to spending time on IG 🥴😜 (and the algorithm punishes me for it).

A towering presence of high mountain meadows and alpine seeps, corn lily sends up tall white flower stalks in mid to late summer. Found between ~ 7,000 and 11,000 ft, it forms dramatic colonies that can stop hikers in their tracks — rather literally in this case, as we had to traverse through this colony to find the trail again.

Corn lily belongs to the Trillium/Death Camas family (Melanthiaceae), and every part of it is highly toxic. Indigenous folks knew its double nature: the powdered root was used as an insecticide, its juice to poison arrows, and in some traditions a carefully measured tea served as birth control or to quiet seizures. Externally, poultices treated sprains, rashes, or fevers—always with profound respect for its lethal power. ✨ Some of my favorite plants are those that are both a medicine and a poison ☠️

Fleabanes ( ) are these sweet little wild daisies that light up the summer meadows and forest edges. There are dozens of...
08/13/2025

Fleabanes ( ) are these sweet little wild daisies that light up the summer meadows and forest edges. There are dozens of species, so I guess I’d rather just simply admire their quiet persistence and beauty than risk potentially misidentifying the species.

In traditional herbalism, fleabane has been used for everything from warding off pests (hence the name) to easing respiratory complaints.

It sure sucks when a pretty flower is invasive. I believe these are oxeye daisies. They sure are easy on the eyes, but L...
08/06/2025

It sure sucks when a pretty flower is invasive. I believe these are oxeye daisies. They sure are easy on the eyes, but Leucanthemum vulgare is a non-native species from Europe and Asia that’s become invasive in much of the western U.S. 🌼 While pretty, they spread aggressively and crowd out native wildflowers that pollinators rely on. You’re sure to spot them in mountain meadows and roadsides. Our native daisies (Townsendia spp) tend to be much smaller and grow closer to the ground.

Photo locations: Taos, Rio Arriba, and Santa Fe Counties.

It took me waaaay way too many years to finally memorize how to confidently spell Gaillardia without having to look it u...
08/04/2025

It took me waaaay way too many years to finally memorize how to confidently spell Gaillardia without having to look it up to make sure I spelled it correctly. I’ve been growing it in my landscape for many years so I probably should have nailed down the spelling a long time ago! Anyway, I think this must be Gaillardia aristata which is found in higher elevation mountains. They remind me of natural pom poms that are cheering on the mountain’s beauty 😍

Veering outside flora with this one. I figure at least once a year I can walk over to the fungi side. 😉 Golden coral fun...
08/02/2025

Veering outside flora with this one. I figure at least once a year I can walk over to the fungi side. 😉 Golden coral fungi (Ramaria spp.) lighting up the forest floor! 🌲 These branching mushrooms get their name from their coral-like shape and vibrant yellow-orange color. Many species in this genus look similar—some edible, some not—so they’re best admired in the wild unless you’re an expert at ID (which I am not!).

Oregano de la Sierra… in the sierra! 😃 I don’t know about you, but it’s kind of a rare sight for me to spot bee balm blo...
07/29/2025

Oregano de la Sierra… in the sierra! 😃 I don’t know about you, but it’s kind of a rare sight for me to spot bee balm blooms in the wild. Monarda fistulosa (AKA wild bergamot, bee balm, and oregano de la sierra) is the native/wild oregano-like plant and is used in similar ways medicinally. Bees love it, hence its “bee balm” common name.

Other Monarda species you could encounter in NM include M. menthifolia (mountain beebalm) and M. pectinata (ponytail beebalm). But M. menthifolia usually has narrower leaves and a slightly more compact flower head, while M. pectinata tends to be paler and more open. Based on the leaf width and the classic lavender flower head, I’d say this is most likely Monarda fistulosa.

Love them bold violet blooms of Rocky Mountain Penstemon/Beardtongue (Penstemon strictus). Standing tall in the mountain...
07/22/2025

Love them bold violet blooms of Rocky Mountain Penstemon/Beardtongue (Penstemon strictus). Standing tall in the mountain meadows, it’s definitely one of the most striking wildflowers of the Southwest. A member of the plantain family (Plantaginaceae), it thrives in dry, sunny slopes and open woodlands, providing nectar for bees, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. It blooms from around June to August between 7,000 and 10,000 feet. It can be confused with Penstemon neomexicanus, the New Mexico Beardtongue which is found more commonly in the southern part of the state or more desert-y areas.

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Rio Arriba County, NM
87532

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