Plants from around the world

Since people from many different countries visit this website, I thought it would be cool for everyone to share a picture of a pretty or cool plant that grows near you. It will be intriguing to see the diversity of and beauty of plants from around the globe!

Here are some berries at a nearby park:


Anyone who lives in the central United States (like where I am) should be familiar with these
http://www.flowerpictures.net/flower_database/images/c/common-sunflowers.jpg

These plants can grow up to 18 feet high if you make sure to water them and keep them propped up with a pole (I know because my grandmother once had one that planted itself and got that tall). The countryside as well as the outskirts of cities in Kansas can have areas chock full of these.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Starr_030612-0063_Tribulus_terrestris.jpg/640px-Starr_030612-0063_Tribulus_terrestris.jpg

The bane of all thing soled shoes and bike tires.

http://www.brothersbikeride.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/image25.jpg

Here in Kansas we have a variant of these (though a fairly light color and more uniform spikes) that will grow in almost any patch of unmaintained ground (which includes patches in local parks and your own yard). In the Fall especially, you need to be diligent on keeping your dog mostly on the path if you’re at the park because the grass surrounding it could be hiding these things. Even after that, a few could still be laying on the ground for the rest of the year.

Here’s an image

These things don’t really start to stick until the color starts changing from green to a light tan, and they’re not near as big as the photo suggests.


Here are some pretty trees that I saw in the fall!

Oh no goat heads!!!

I find the sheer variety of plants interesting. For example this is a meter wide lichen circle I found on a recent tramp:



Or even these flowers, being a mere 0.75cm diameter each flower:


Yeah, we do have normal plants here, such as…


That is a ‘cabbage tree’ but in my head they are “Dr Seuss Trees’s”
http://images.clipartpanda.com/dr-seuss-clipart-44c31857e7c128c9861c09f0110c2f92