Phlox Family Waelder, TX March 26, 2009 I somehow managed to get the little hairs on the plant in focus, but not the flowers! Unfortunately, this was the only shot I got of this pretty red flower! Phlox are a favorite nectar flower of butterflies, they drink from the little hole in the middle of the flower. The name Drummond appears often in Texas wildflowers, either in the common name or as a species name spelled with two "i"s. Thomas Drummond was a Scottish botanist who studied and collected plants in central Texas in 1833 - 34. He collected 750 plants during that time (and I thought I did pretty well with 150!). He would not have had to put up with a lot of the non-natives at that time however!
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Aster Family Waelder, TX March 26, 2009 These plants were very common along the roadsides near San Antonio and Austin. They are composite flowers, but they do not have ray flowers ("petals") like daisies. Each little part is an individual flower.
