Fitch's Spikeweed: The 129th Flower of Spring & Summer! (3 more pix below!)

I've said this before, but I have to say once again: it's just amazing how beautiful many "ugly" flowers look if you get a close look at them! Standing over this flower, it's boring and looks like nothing at all. But I was so surprised how beautiful this flower is when seen through a macro lens! I love flowers that appear to have tiny flowers blooming in the very center...I call them "flowers within flowrs"! :D This Spikeweed has gorgeous little yellow stars inside and I absolutely love them! On top of that, their spiky outer leaves form yet another star. They really are very special little flowers!

Did I mention that Spikeweed stinks?! :D Yes, this is another STINKWEED! :D Happily, this sticky, resin-coated member of the tarweed family has more of a lemon scent, but too much rubbed onto one's clothes does smell way too much. Although it's related to other tarweed flowers that grow on our property, Fitch's Spikeweed is being moved into its own genus...maybe stinkweeds must be kept apart so they don't smell so much?! :D All kidding aside, this flower is very different in appearance than the other species and they should be in their own genus. This flower grows in California and Oregon and is considered a noxious weed.

If you want to know more about this lovely flower, Wiki has a small source with a listing of species here: Wiki: Tarweed (Hemizonia)