Found in moist areas, ditches, stream banks
Seen blooming in June by the Rio Chama

Coyote Willow is very common and only one of the several varieties of willow that grow in our area. It grows to ten feet tall in thickets with yellow, red and tannish stems. The leaves are long, up to five inches, very narrow and shiny. They have tiny flowers with no petals in dense spikes called catkins with male and female flowers on separate plants. The male catkins point up, the females droop down. The photo is of male flowers loaded with pollen. The female produces masses of fluffy seeds. The fresh bark of all members of this genus contains salicin which decomposes into salicylic acid (closely related to aspirin) in the human body. Traditionally, the bark was used to treat fevers, coughs, venereal diseases, and sore throats, and was taken as an emetic. Branches were used for building sweat lodges for rheumatism and colds; the young twigs were used to make baskets, mats, and cordage. The fibers in the bark have been woven to make clothing, bags and blankets. The shredded inner bark has been used to make sanitary towels and babies' nappies. The twigs have been used as toothbrushes. Source.

If you are 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, disturbed soil
Seen blooming in May at Abiquiu Lake

This annual weed grows over 3 feet tall in an open, airy pattern. It is distinguished by large, deeply lobed, toothed basal leaves and very narrow, delicate leaves on the upper part of the stem. Pale yellow flowers with the typical four petals of mustards are 1/2 inch across, and produce long, narrow seedpods. After fruiting, the plant becomes brittle and breaks off at the base becoming a tumbleweed. The young leaves and shoots of the plant are edible and can be used in salads, soups, and other dishes. The seeds are high in oil and protein and can be used to make a nutritious oil or flour. It has been used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of ailments, including respiratory infections, digestive problems, and skin conditions. Tall Tumble Mustard has other uses as well. The oil extracted from the seeds can be used for biodiesel, and the plant has been used for erosion control and as a cover crop to improve soil health. One interesting aspect of the plant is its ability to accumulate heavy metals from the soil. This property makes the plant useful for phytoremediation, which is the process of using plants to remove contaminants from soil or water. It has been shown to be effective at removing heavy metals such as cadmium and lead from contaminated soil, making it a potential tool for environmental cleanup. Source.
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If you are 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 disturbed soil, roadsides
Seen blooming in May by Highway 84

These dandelion lookalikes are quite common in this area but easily missed because they only open when the sun shines on them, then close after a few hours; from 9am to 11am in my observations. Cutleaf Vipergrass grows to 20 inches tall on a grooved, hollow stem with milky sap. Leaves are narrowly divided and grass-like. The bright yellow flowers are almost one inch across and have long, brown-tipped bracts. Seed heads are also dandelion-like and two inches across. It also looks like a small salsify, hence another common name, False Salsify. Viper Grass is the European name for this plant, so called because the milky sap was believed to be useful to treat snakebites. Because of its recent introduction to North America there is no traditional Native American use for the plant but it is used in folk medicine in southern Europe and Asia in the therapy of arteriosclerosis, kidney disorders, wounds, rheumatism, and also in antidiabetic, antihypertensive, and antinociceptive medications. Source.

If you are 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 washes and canyons
Seen blooming in May on Espinosa Trail, Santa Fe NF

Unlike the more familiar Showy Milkweed which grows 3 feet tall, Dwarf Milkweed grows sprawling on the ground up to 10 inches. Leaves are long and folded with woolly edges. Milkweed flowers are both beautiful and structurally complex. Dwarf Milkweed flowers are yellowish-white and produce fat, erect seed pods 1½ to 2½ inches long which split open to allow the large brown seeds with silky plumes to escape. Milkweeds contain various amounts of poisonous glycosides and in some species these compounds are potent enough to cause the death of cattle and horses if consumed in large quantities. Such events are rare. Most grazing animals learn to avoid milkweeds due to the bitterness and toxicity of the leaves and pods. The Monarch butterfly larvae eat only milkweed and retain this poison without harm, so they become distasteful to potential predators who soon learn to avoid these species after attempting to eat them. Nevertheless, Native Americans traditionally used an infusion of the plant as a stomach medicine; a poultice of heated roots was applied for toothaches and a dry powdered root was mixed with saliva and used for unspecified illness. Source.

If you are 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 on dry, rocky slopes
Seen blooming in May in Red Wash Canyon

Plants seem to be blooming at least two weeks later than usual this year, maybe because of the cold spring; even the Dandelions didn’t appear until April. This Cliff Fendlerbush usually blooms in mid-April. It is a many-branched shrub growing in a columnar shape from 3 to 10 feet tall with tough, dark stems. The leaves are narrow and thick. In spring, the branch tips are covered with a profusion of pink buds which mature into brilliant white fragrant flowers. Flowers have 4 petals which narrow to the center. It was used by early Native Americans to kill lice and taken after accidentally swallowing ants. It was also used to make arrows, forks, planting sticks, knitting needles and to make ceremonial items and in ceremonial medicine. Source.

If you are 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.