Hole in the Fence

Who am I?

This little posy has been driving me crazy for over a year. I found it growing at Laguna Lake when I was walking my 15 year old malamute border collie mix, Major pup. He’s old, so there is a lot of stopping when we go walking.  That’s O.K. with me. It gives me a chance to check out the flora. That’s when I came across this little beauty. It is a creeper. It has lovely little pink flowers with yellow centers. It grows in very dry, distressed areas and then the area doesn’t look so distressed anymore. I picked this one out of someone’s yard. It was growing amongst the grass. So I guess it can grow in both places. I asked Cassie, my daughter, to take a picture so I could post it. She is really good at this. She posed it on the rock to get the best angles. And got a little artsy with the purple pillow. The plants a vamp.

I tried to ID it from my Peterson Field Guide Pacific State Wildflowers. But no luck. Someone else had asked me what it was and I had to say I didn’t know. I hate not knowing. So, I am putting this out there. The leaves are opposite, lance, and slightly serrated. The plant hugs the ground and the little flower peeks just above.

That is a penny on the left side, left picture, to give you an idea of the size of the flower. Two could fit on a penny. The flower head is on a spike. The little individual flowers on the head are irregular-shape united petals. I know someone is going to come back and say this is just a common old weed but that’s O.K. I think it is a little jewel and deserves to be called by name the next time I see it. And that would be………?

I know this ones’ name. This is Major Pup just after I gave him a hair cut in May.  My top dog. What a sweetiepie.

FOUND IT

It has been almost a year looking for the name of this flower. I checked with master gardeners, park rangers, botanists, and a total stranger came up with the answer. I was showing a friend the plant that was in a neighbors yard. The neighbor whom I had never met before was in his yard. I explained that there was this little weed in his yard I was curious about  and asked if he knew what it was. He said no but his partner was a botanist and he would check with her. Well, what are the odds of that happening. John actually went a step further and emailed another friend in Ventura with some pictures I had sent him. Then  just today John emailed back with a positive ID of  that little pink flower. It is called Frog Fruit.  Never heard of it but here is the link and all the information.  I am so excited.  And what are the odds that a neighbor just happened to be in his yard, just happen to know somebody that might know and well it is all just a lot of fun.  Thank you new found neighbor John Freedman  for all your help.  And thank you Ron Whitehurst who found and sent the link to John.  Thank you everyone. You have solved the mystery and I am so delighted.!!!!! Check it out.  Big Big Smile.

http://ag.arizona.edu/pima/gardening/aridplants/Lippia_nodiflora.html

This site has a great plant list too.