This August Garden of the Gods has turned into a wonderland of yellow flowers even more so than usual. With all the rain this May and June and showers since then, not to mention many less 90+ degree days than the last few years, what beauty! Here we go . . .
Two types of flowers are dominating the landscape. The Common Sunflower (Helianthus annus) and the Cowpen Daisy (Verbesina encelioides).
The Common Sunflower is well known across the country. They can grow to 10 feet tall but Guinness Book of World Records has the tallest sunflower reaching 30 ft 1 in. There are about 70 species of Helianthus–sunflowers–but we’ll only be seeing a few and they are gorgeous this year!
Although we normally see common sunflowers–bright yellow petals with dark centers–there are are other sunflowers of different heights and colorings along our trails. Probably “escapees” from local gardens thanks to high winds and birds.
The sunflower seeds we know (and love?) form in the center of the flower, ready to harvest when the head turns downward and the flower is dying for the season. We see very few in that condition right now, but later this month it will be sunflower seed heaven.
The Cowpen Daisy, also called Golden Crownbeard, can stand five feet tall but with smaller flowers. We saw fields of these lovelies already in July. The flowers about about 2 inches across but it is easy to tell them from the many types of yellow flowers aglow in the summer. See the two notches, or three “teeth”, on the end of each petal? That is unique to cowpens.
A field of sunflowers would not be complete without the birds that have been anxiously awaiting the seeds–the finches. Lesser Goldfinch, female at left, male right. If you have never seen a Lesser, take a look here. They live mainly in the southwestern states. We see many all around Colorado Springs.
Of course the American Goldfinch, found in every state and known to love sunflower seeds.
As the end of August nears, other late summer flowers are showing their colors against the yellow backdrop. Especially the purple “spikes” called Gayfeather, also Dotted Blazing Star (Liatris punctata), adding purples and pinks to the landscape.
I hope these yellow delights brought as big a smile to your face as they did mine. Until next time my friend . . .
Really love the “walk” down the Yellow Wonderland through your photos. Beautiful! And yes, brought a big smile to my face! Thanks so much.
Speechless. Fabulous blog. Finch’s and sunflowers was like a surprise grand finale!