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Tuesday, May 11, 2010

On the Rocks

I mentioned yesterday my fondness for cacti and succulents and one of the reasons for that fondness is admiration for how these little plants survive and even thrive under very difficult circumstances. While out at Fisgard Lighthouse on the weekend I also came across these tough little plants - not cacti or succulents. I think they are some variety of wild onion (Allium species) but I can't find anything in my field guides that will let me to be more specific and their grip on life in the tiny cracks they were growing from seemed so precarious I was not about to dig around to look at their roots or bulbs. The photo on the left may help in identification and I welcome suggestions as to what they are.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Yesterday I picked up a copy of Lewis Clark's Field guide to wild flowers of the sea coast in the Pacific Northwestin a local thrift store and found a lovely picture of this little plant that leaves no doubt as to its identification. This is Sea Pink, aka Thrift (Armeria martitima).

3 comments:

JoJo said...

They sure are pretty and must be very hardy if they can survive rooted in an exposed rock like that!

Anonymous said...

Is it some kind of a saxifrage?
BevF

Benjamin Madison said...

Saxifrage - I'll have a look in the field guides - many of them do have the same kind of little bundles of flowers at the top of long stalks....
Thanks, Bev.