Photo credit: John George
Found in shallow wet areas, ditches, ponds
Seen in September by the Rio Chama, Abiquiu, NM

Cattails are easily recognizable in wet places by their sword-like green leaves and distinctive flower stalks growing 5 to 10 feet tall in dense stands. They actually bloom in our area in July. At blooming time male flowers are in a spike at the tip of the stem with the female flowers in a spike below. After pollination the male flowers fall away and the female flowers form the familiar brown sausage-like seed head. This eventually dries and falls apart scattering as many as 200,000 seeds with feather-like plumes to the wind in the spring. Large stands of Cattails serve as important nesting areas and cover for wildlife. They are also a really useful plant for humans. The roots can be cooked like potatoes or dried and made into protein-rich flour; the young spring shoots are juicy and can be used as an asparagus substitute; the young immature flowers can be boiled and eaten like corn on the cob; the pollen can be used to make pancakes; the base of the leaves can be eaten like an artichoke; the flowers can be eaten raw or cooked. The leaves are not edible but can be woven into baskets, hats, mats, chairs and beds. The dried seed heads attached to their stalks can be dipped into melted animal fat or oil and used as torches. The medicinal uses of Cattails include poultices made from the roots that can be applied to cuts, wounds, burns, stings, and bruises. The ash of the burned leaves can be used as an antiseptic or styptic for wounds. The seed heads and dried leaves can be used as tinder. The seed head fluff can be used for pillow and bedding stuffing. Source.

If you trying to identify a different flower then you can check what other flowers bloom this month. If you cannot identify a flower from the website send a photo and where you took it to [email protected]. Read online for tips.   

Found in sandy, rocky, dry areas, roadsides
Seen in August in Plaza Blanca, Abiquiu

Spiny Goldenweed could be easily mistaken for Golden Aster with its bright yellow flowers and similar growth habit. A closer look at the leaves will show the difference. Leaves are deeply cut into narrow lobes each with a bristle at the tip. Soft hairs give a silvery appearance. It grows to two feet tall with stems branched and spreading from the base. Flowers are over one inch across and borne singly at the top of a stem. Like the Golden Aster it can be seen in bloom from spring through fall. The Navajo used it to cure headaches. Source.
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If you trying to identify a different flower then you can check what other flowers bloom this month. If you cannot identify a flower from the website send a photo and where you took it to [email protected]. Read online for tips.   

Found in sandy or rocky open areas
Seen blooming in August on the Madera Trail, Santa Fe NF, Medanales
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The Dayflower is so called because the flowers only open for a day. It grows erect to about a foot high with wide, grass-like leaves clasping the stem. Leaves have parallel veins and reddish edges. The unusual flowers are showy and grow from a spathe, a folded, sickle-shaped, purse-like bract. If the spathe is squeezed, it produces a drop of liquid, hence another common name, Widow's Tears. The flowers are about one inch across with two roundish, bright blue petals side by side and a small, white, notched petal below. The flowers, young leaves and stems are edible. In China, Dayflowers are often grown as a leafy vegetable crop as it is popular in a number of localized dishes. Within parts of Asia, the Dayflower also has a long history of use as a medicinal plant from treating throat infections to fevers. Source.
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If you trying to identify a different flower then you can check what other flower bloom this month. If you cannot identify a flower from the website, send a photo and where you took it to [email protected]. Read online for tips.   

Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Found in disturbed habitats, open sites
Seen blooming in August by the Rio Chama, Abiquiu

This Goldenrod is the tallest of the Goldenrods in our area, growing in colonies from two to six feet tall. The stems have numerous leaves which are up to 7 inches long with 3 strong veins. Flower heads are a showy, branching cluster of flower stalks making a pyramid shape. Tiny flowers grow along one side of the stalks. A single plant can have over 1,000 individual flowers. The genus Solidago is from the Latin solido, to 'make whole', as the plants of this genus were known to "make whole". Native American tribes have found a variety of uses for the Goldenrod; for treating cramps, fevers, colds, ulcers and boils, as a wash for a child who does not talk or laugh, as a bath for women during childbirth, to quiet babies with sleeplessness or excessive crying, to relieve diarrhea, as a charm for success in gambling, and a decoction of the plant and wild tarragon has been used as a wash for horses with cuts and sores. Source.

If you trying to identify a different flower then you can check what other flower bloom this month. If you cannot identify a flower from the website, send a photo and where you took it to [email protected]. Read online for tips.   

Found in ditches, fields, roadsides, waste places
Seen blooming in July by the Tierra Azul acequia

​Lesser Burdock grows from 20 to 60 inches tall, flowering every two years. This plant is over 5 feet tall. In the first year only a rosette of large basal leaves is grown. Leaves are heart-shaped and can be 18 inches wide and 24 inches long with wavy edges. They have long hollow stalks and resemble rhubarb leaves. In the second year it grows a stout, ridged flower stalk with smaller leaves. Leaves on the stem are oval-shaped, dull green above, greyish green underneath. The pinkish-purplish flowers grow in clusters at the end of side branches. Flower heads are thistle-like and up to 1 inch across with narrow, hooked bracts which develop into brown prickly burs when they go to seed. Burdock has very good medicinal and edible properties. The edible parts include the leaves, root, seed and stem. In Japan it is cultivated for the food market. Burdock is one of the foremost detoxifying herbs in both Chinese and Western herbal medicine. It is considered an effective liver tonic, useful in treating water retention, rheumatoid conditions, skin disorders, and high blood pressure. Its fiber has also been used for paper. Leaves may be used for a head covering. Source.
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If you trying to identify a different flower then you can check what other flower bloom this month. If you cannot identify a flower from the website, send a photo and where you took it to [email protected]. Read online for tips.