Sailing with Nine of Cups Wildflowers of the USA

s/y Nine of Cups
Wildflowers of the USA
Summers 2010 & 2012

Our cross country trip of the USA sparked
an interest in photographing the plethora of
wildflowers we saw. Some were in the
National Parks and Monuments, but many
were just along the roadside adding color
and natural beauty to the miles of highway.

Always needing to "identify" (it's almost an
obsession), I purchased the NWF Field
Guide to Wildflowers of North America
by David M. Brandenburg. Since I've seen
many of these flowers elsewhere in the
world, I'll use it in the future for identifying
flowers worldwide. See mistakes? Let me
know so I can correct them.

Globe mallow
Mojave Desert - California

Desert dandelion
Mojave Desert - California

A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower
which was not intentionally seeded or
planted. Scientists rarely refer to
wildflowers and generally try to discourage
use of the term altogether preferring terms
such as native species (naturally occurring in
the area), exotic or, better yet, introduced
species (not naturally occurring in the area),
of which some are labelled invasive species
(competing with other plants – whether
native or not), imported (introduced to an
area whether deliberately or accidentally)
and naturalized (introduced to an area, but
now considered by the public as native). Not
being a purist, wildflower works for me.

White violet
Cedar Breaks NM - Utah

California strawberry
Cedar Breaks NM - Utah

Kittentail
Cedar Breaks NM - Utah

Western groundsel
Cedar Breaks NM - Utah

Alpine bells
Cedar Breaks NM - Utah

Woolly mule's-ears
Roadside near Tahoe, CA

Elkweed
Cedar Breaks NM - Utah

Sego lily - Utah's state flower
Escalante, Utah

Desert four o'clock
Escalante, Utah

Alpine golden wild buckwheat
Escalante, UT

White prickly poppy
Escalante, UT

Parry's primrose
Cedar Breaks NM, Utah

Golden prince's plume
Escalante, UT

Meadow salsify
Escalante, UT

As we traveled from one National Park and Monument to another, I found that Bird Lists and
Wildflower Lists were available, making the identification process easier.