Scarlet Butterfly Weed / Gaura coccinea

Photos of this little native wildflower usually come out looking rather "messy" - mainly, I think, because of those long stamens : ) A pretty little flower, though, with four spoon-shaped petals which are white to yellowish and these may turn pink with age, sometimes a very deep pink/scarlet. Photographed on August 18th at the Erlton/Roxborough Natural Area. This is perhaps the richest area in the city for wildflower species. Unfortunately, it is being seriously overtaken by invasive weeds, like Goat's-beard. Another weed doing a lot of damage there is Baby's-breath, which probably started when someone tossed an old vaseful of flowers over the fence from the cemetery that backs on to the natural area.