Aster Family El Paso, TX Sept. 30, 2008 This was the first plant I saw when we got off the plane in El Paso. It was growing along the highways all the way to Alamogordo. Being a "DYC" ("#*! Yellow Composite), it is a great nectar source for insects. There are thousands of tiny flowers on these plants.
Aster Family Cloudcroft, NM Oct. 2, 2008 I found this yellow thistle growing in a large, grassy meadow along the Osha Trail.
Las Cruces, NM Oct. 5, 2008 I found this plant near the Baylor Pass trailhead after the rain storm. Had the sun been out longer, more of the flowers would have been in bloom. Stingleaf lives up to its name, like many desert plants, it is well-armed and can protect itself from browsers! I'm glad I didn't touch it. After my unpleasant run-in with Stinging Nettle several years ago, I've learned to respect strange-looking plants that I am not familiar with!
