Sunday, December 14, 2008

Today's Flowers

For the past week I've highlighted photos from the Nebraska Sandhills area. I hope you've enjoyed the tour.

Two posts down I highlighted three insects that I found in one little flower patch. Today's Flowers post will highlight one of the flowers in that patch. It seems to have several names. Hoary vervain, wooly verbena, also spelled in some places woolly verbena.

I have read that Plains Indians made a tea from the leaves and used it to treat stomachaches. Prairie chickens and small mammals eat the seeds. It is very drought-resistant, with roots that can descend to 12 feet. Cattle will not consume it due to its bitter taste so it spreads in overgrazed pastures.


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19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful mauve flower against a blurred background.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful flower. Great shot.
Merry Christmas.

Reader Wil said...

This is a very great shot and the flower is beautiful.

♥ Denise BC ♥ said...

Hi, nice close-up, very good.
hugs, Denise BC

Naturegirl said...

Nature is always inspiring isn't it!
A lovely photo!

Arija said...

I like Hoary Vervein bst. It is such a lovely colour and so well photographed.

Anonymous said...

I love ethnobotany and how plants were used in the past for medicinal purposes. Your flower has a beautiful shade of purple to it...one of my favourite colours.

 gmirage said...

So, thats how this lovely lilac flowers are called...thanks i didnt know that before...Have a nice week!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful the way you have photographed this pretty woolly verbena.

sweetmom said...

nice capture! I love purple flower, looks pretty..

DrowseyMonkey-Photos said...

Excellent shot :) Thanks for the background info too.

Gill - That British Woman said...

the detail is stunning especially on the enlarged photo.

Gill in Canada

Anonymous said...

Great shot on that one! So pretty!

My Today's Flower is posted here. Please drop by if you have the time. Thanks!

Day4plus said...

Great color. Thanks for the info. MB

lilly said...

what a great post. I'm always interested to know about what the plants can be used for.

The Good Life in Virginia said...

interesting post and photo is beautiful...love the color.

Carletta said...

Nicely composed photo.
Beautiful flower!

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Kayleen: A beautiful and colorful flower that you have shown, vuery well captured.

Lilli & Nevada said...

That is a beautiful and colorful flower.