Company...

some of the flowers that grow wild in our yard... they keep Selma Lee company while she's in the drive way.




Oenothera albicaulis
Prairie Evening Primrose
There are 21 species of Oenothera (primrose) found in Arizona- if you compare this to the last picture in this post- you have to look at the lobes on the leaves to see the difference (there's also a distinct difference in height if you could see a side profile of them).



Opuntia violacea
Purple Prickly Pear,
also called Blue Blade or Dollar Cactus (how appropriate)
We have maybe half a dozen of these on the sloping hill behind our apartment.



Cirsium neomaxicanum
New Mexican Thistle
We have two of these out front all by themselves- they're both about 3 1/2 feet tall, with such slender stems I don't see how they don't fall over.




Cirsium arizonicum
Airzona Thistle
There are many thistle species and sub-species in Arizona. The bloom on this is about four inches across- I think the picture makes it look smaller then it is. We have these all over the yard- this plant is now fully in bloom with five big pink flowers.



Oenothera caespitosa
Stemless Primrose,
also called Sandlily or Rockrose
We have seven railroad tie steps that go up the side of the building- for whatever reason these flowers love those steps- and earlier in the spring- probably early April- we had a dozen of these plants along the steps- which open up in the mornings, and by mid-day are closed and look like boring green weeds.