Sorry, its been awhile since I checked on this post... Ok, Kudzukween, Amy and Mimi--Yes, all that 20 acres is my hubbies and mine. We bought it December of 06---it's just south of the Sequoia National Forest in California. Ok, yes, the last photos are of Baby Blue Eyes (those were not on our land but the 20 acre parcel next to ours. I'm still trying ot figure out what for sure the white one is. The small light blue ones are Pygmy Leaved Lupine (Lupinus bicolor). The dark purple tall skinny ones are Brodiaea, Wild Hyacinth (Dichelostemma capitatum). I'm not sure what the little hot pinks ones are yet. There are the Goldfields (Lastenia californica) (carpet of yellow). The one that is a green water lily looking like leaf with the small white flower in the center of the leaf is called Miners Lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata)--that one I only found in one place so far. We are going out again this Saturday so I hope to find more and get some more photos. WE bought on a fluke---my hubby was the one jumping on this one and he's the one to generally think a situation/possibility to DEATH before he acts on it. For the mean time it will be used as a Getaway (that's what I refer to it as for now) until the home we are in now is paid off (about 12 years). If we still have it by that time (because there are so many options) we would like to build a home there---like a retirement/ partial live there place. WE think we know where we would want the actual home site to be. It's perfect views of the back of the Tehachapi mountains to the South and the Sequoias to the North. We camped there last Labor Day weekend which was interesting. We have a power pole so whatever we build we have to bring power from there ($$$$). We alse need to dig a well which we think we'll do in the next few years. We think we'll have to go 400 feet. Can't have a home unless you have water....better to know sooner than later, right? It's going to cost in the 20-30K just for that--so Whoa Nellie, one thing at a time. If money were not an issue it would have already been done. :-) We are not believers of the "Global Warming" issue, but we definitely want to go solar. We would have both solar and electric just to be "tied in" whatever benefits they say that is because as I know it now we would not get $$ if we made extra---just credit. I guess if we ever did get enough credit we could leave the lights, fans, etc. on all day and all night just to use the credits up. (heheheheehheee). I think we would have propane as well since I don't think there is access to natural gas. Hubby was thinking of a log cabin type home. I laugh---everyone has a log cabin looking home in the hills. He looked up one that may be good for us---the Michelle Kaufmann Glidehouse. It's simple and is built smartly in design and efficiency. Anyway, I can keep babbling. It's exciting....It's hard to wait. Thanks for reading/listening. Love, Jules Here is a link that might be useful: Michelle Kaufmann Designs--Glidehouse

One day I didn't check my mail and see what I missed! A fellow sleuth! Hieracium paniculatum is indeed a strong candidate! I never even saw it in my searches. Well done! There's one thing bothering me --above I told Hortster, "Britton makes one observation that seems to rule out Lactuca ssp.: 'Rays truncate and 5-toothed at the summit.'" I was WRONG! Luckily, my cam has keener sight, b/c the petals do have 5 teeth. I've uploaded 9 more photos and the 1st shows the teeth. (Link above.) I wish I knew how to post large photos here as you do. Anyway, there is only one lactuca that it might be, Lactuca floridana var. villosa, but I couldn't find any further information. The most helpful site I found for Hieracium paniculatum is below, in text, a pdf. It says that the undersides of the leaves are glaucous (mine are not) and that "hairs at the base of the stem and on the lower leaves are 3-10 mm long or longer." I haven't looked yet for hairs on the lower leaves, let alone measured them! LOL Of course, we could be looking at different plants, which would be no fun at all. http://web4.msue.msu.edu/mnfi/abstracts/botany/Hieracium_paniculatum.pdf Here is a link that might be useful: Lactuca floridana var. villosa

Whoa Josh!!! Gee, thanks for all the neat "links" you posted for me!! I was in reading last night for quite a length of time, & there is much info on alot of this stuff! Now, I'm not sure if Missouri's type of foliage & flowers are similar to ours here in Idaho, as I think they might "differ" a bit... mostly due to our Desert climate right in our area. The MOBOT Herbarium Instruction page was a "mind-blower," as it was some really in-depth reading, and I could go for hours on that one! Wow! I was really glad to hear you know what "Prickly-Pear" Cactus' are, because they grow wild here, by the "scads," and alot of folks use them in their rock gardens & such. When roaming or hiking in the mountains or Desert areas around here, you really have to watch where you're stepping, because of the large groups of them that grow everywhere! I've even seen them growing right out of the tops of lava rocks around here... with no soil!!! Too bad I can't figure out a way to get the beautiful blossoms off of them to "press & dry!" (... that would be a real fiasco` though, because of how sharp they are!) You had mentioned the "Yucca" Plant. That is one I am not very familiar with. I did try to grow some "Yucca" at one time out here, but as usual, I had no luck. It is just too dry on our Ranch here. I will have to ask around & see if folks grow any Yucca around here. I have not navigated around on the Site much here yet, since I have been a Member, so haven't went into the "Native forum" yet... but will do that. Thanks. You are right when you stated that right now, we should have a vast array of tiny flowers & things growing out in the Desert here on our Ranch. Always in the Spring time here in our area, everything of Nature is just loaded with many unusual Spring flowers & foliage. I am hoping to get out and pick some wild "Indian Paint Brush" to press & dry, that's for sure! This was something I wanted to do over the Easter week-end, but our weather was really stormy with alot of high gusts of Wind,... so I couldn't get out to do that. I am like you Josh... not only do I like to attempt to press & dry "flowers," but I also like the foliage... alot of it, & am always so interested in dried "leaves" and such. "Moss" fascinates me too!! I was reading on some of the previous "links" you gave to me on various plants, & it was telling how to "skeletonize" leaves & such... That was quite interesting to me! (maybe something I'll have to try sometime, but realize it's also difficult to do.) As far as me "trading" any plants from your area, I would be willing just to send you some of my Western "sage" foliage from out here... because that's all it is, is "leaves," but I would have to "press & dry" some first. Let me know what you think? Thank you for responding & Posting Josh.. it's always good to hear from you, & I will be in reading more of the info in the "links" you sent to me as well. Take care, & I will anticipate hearing from you again~ Warmest regards, ~ IndianPaintBrush ~

I knew that I should have posted this on the Name-That-Plant forum. Anyway, by accident, I've answered my own question. I found an image of this plant on the web while trying to identify another plant. It's not a weed at all, it's a GA, native perennial wildflower. In case anybody else has this popping up in their yard it's: Salvia lyrata L., Lyre-leafed Sage, Cancer Weed