WIldflowers Blooming at State Park

Ah, you've just answered two of my previous questions !

My godmother used to live in Utah.

Not sure if this is it GT, but my best guess. Google it & check out the photos....

Desert Sunflower
(Geraea canescens )
Range
Sonoran and Mojave deserts of southeastern California to southwestern Utah and south to Arizona and northwestern Mexico.
Habitat
Sandy, barren desert flats and roadsides below 3,000 feet.
Flowers
Two-inch, golden-yellow flower heads appear at the ends of branches. Flowers are composed of 10 to 20 oblong rays surrounding the golden disk. Blooms February through May and sometimes, with moist summers, again October and November.
Description
The Desert Sunflower is a slender, hairy plant that grows 1 to 3 feet high. The sparse, gray-green, ovate, leaves grow to 3 inches long and have toothed margins. "Geraea" is derived from the Greek word for "old man" -- "geraios" -- which refers to the white hairs on the seed-like, flat fruits.
The flower of this colorful annual is popular with bees and birds, while the seeds are an important food source for birds and rodents. After a spring rainfall, the Desert Sunflower can be found in abundance along desert roadways and is common with Sand Verbena and Dune Evening Primrose.

-- A.R. Royo

lovely pics of the dunes GT

Wild flowers are the best aren't they..........look similar to Gazanias Gt.......

Thanks for the comments. I'm glad you like these flowers too. :-)

Gramazoo, I did find that plant, even listed as present in this park, but these had long green leaves and one bloom per stalk, the plant looks more like an aster, long pointed green leaves. The effect was like a clump of grass with these flowers. The flowers were almost 8 inches wide! Plus this is full bloom June and occuring at 6000ft elevation. That is why I'm placing them in the asteraceae family. I did notice they were present at these dunes only, not found in any other part of the landscape we explored. Thank you for helping me investigate. :-)

They are gorgeous what ever family they are GT! I noticed the size was off in my guess as well... good luck tracking them down!

beautiful

I know G. I thought there would be a park resource since there are so many of them. But nothing yet.

Thank you Michaella. :-)

The name is wyethia, a close relative to balsamorhiza both in the heliantheae family. This is called mules ear balsamroot. They readily interbreed and there are specific subspecies in isolated condition like this.