Borage Family Sunspot, NM Oct. 2, 2008 I spotted this wildflower growing along a trail at the National Solar Observatory.
Aster Family Cloudcroft, NM Oct. 2, 2008 I learned about this rare wildflower while we were at the Forest Service office in Cloudcroft. The biologist told me it could be found at Bluff Springs. The thistle is not the most beautiful flower I saw on our trip, but it is always exciting to find a rare plant!
is located off Rio Penasco Road off the highway to Sunspot. This travertine cliff is the result of hundreds of years worth of heavily mineral-laden water dripping and flowing over the side of the hill. All of the plants on the cliff and in the foreground are the rare Sacramento Thistles. Most of the flowers had quit blooming, but I found a few across the road that still had flowers on them. The land near the bluff is fenced off to protect the plants.
