White flower of prickly poppy (pricklepoppy, Argemone albiflora) with orange center and delicate crinkled petals in Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site. Washington, Texas, May 9, 2009
Flower petals of flax (Linum usitatissimum) taken from Al Istiqlal Street in Onaiza area. Doha, Qatar, February 11, 2016
Ruffled petal lobes of yellow flower of fringed puccoon (Lithospermum incisum) in Old Baylor Park. Independence, Texas, January 31, 2009
Cylindrical cluster of flowers of Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata), with spindle-like bilobed yellow spots on the middle upper petals, in Zilker Botanical Gardens. Austin, Texas, May 10, 2009
6-petaled star flowers of Blue eyed grass (Sisyrinchium) in Lick Creek Park, on Post Oak Trail. College Station, Texas, March 31, 2008
Blue flower of Purple dewdrop (Lobelia puberula) on Little Lake Creek Loop Trail in Sam Houston National Forest, with 2 short ear-like upper petals and 3 broad wedge-shaped lower petals. Huntsville, Texas, September 14, 2008
Netted milkvine (Matelea reticulata) flower, with flat starlike green petal lobes with netlike markings and the shiny pearly white central dome, on Woodland Trail in Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center. Austin, Texas, May 10, 2009
Ten-petal anemone (basket anemone, Anemone heterophylla) in Washington-on-the-Brazos Historic Site, near Loop trail, with a basket-like flower with linear white petals around an elongated dome of seeds. Washington, Texas, March 30, 2008
Fuzzy flowers with petals having small hairs of Buckbean (Menyanthes) in a lake in Lembolovo, 40 miles north from Saint Petersburg. Russia, June 12, 2009
Lily-like flower of death camas (Zigadenus elegans, Anticlea elegans) with two-pronged greenish-yellow glands on each petal in Botanic Gardens of Komarov Botanical Institute. Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 13, 2010
6-petaled star flower of Blue eyed grass (Sisyrinchium) south from Lake Somerville. Texas, March 29, 2008
White flowering pickerelweed (Pontederia) with 6-petaled flowers in a cylindrical cluster and spindle-like bilobed yellow spots on the middle upper petals in TAMU Horticultural Gardens in Texas A and M University. College Station, Texas, June 24, 2008
Petals of passion flower (passiflora) in Antique Rose Emporium. Independence, Texas, October 12, 2013
Fine petals of Stellaria flower in Udelny Park. Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 8, 2017
Yellow-eyed grass (Xyris ambigua) in Big Thicket park on Sundew Trail, with small 3-petaled yellow flowers on a cone-like head of leathery scales. Texas, April 26, 2008
Partridge berry (Mitchella repens) flowers with 4 petals in twin-like union and velvety hairs on petal surface in Big Thicket park on Kirby Trail. Texas, April 26, 2008
Blue-purple 6-petaled flowers in a cylindrical cluster of Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata) in TAMU Horticultural Gardens in Texas A and M University, with spindle-like bilobed yellow spots on the middle upper petals. College Station, Texas, June 7, 2008
Petals of Indian blanket (Gaillardia pulchella, firewheel) flower in dew in Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site. Washington, Texas, April 19, 2012
Frostweed (Verbesina virginica) after hard freeze on sewer line right of way in Lick Creek Park. Thin layers of ice are often formed into exquisite patterns that curl into "petals" that resemble flowers. College Station, Texas, January 9, 2010
Flower of Chinaberry (Melia azedarach) with narrow petals cut from a tree outside apartments on George Bush Drive. College Station, Texas, March 31, 2009
Ruffled petal lobes of yellow flower of fringed puccoon (Narrowleaf gromwell, Lithospermum incisum) in Old Baylor Park. Independence, Texas, March 29, 2008
White and tinted with pink catchfly (Silene gallica) flowers in Lick Creek Park, with rounded petal lips having 2 inner "teeth". College Station, Texas, April 30, 2008
Flower petals of flax (Linum usitatissimum) on Al Istiqlal Street in Onaiza area. Doha, Qatar, February 11, 2016
Flowerhead of sneezeweed (bitterweed, Helenium amarum) with down-flexed petals in dew in Lick Creek Park, with yellow ray flowers that bend downward. College Station, Texas, September 30, 2008
Tiny white flowers with cleft petals of common chickweed (Stellaria media) on a lawn in TAMU Horticultural Gardens in Texas A and M University. College Station, Texas, January 9, 2009
Frostweed (Verbesina virginica) after hard freeze on sewer line right of way in Lick Creek Park. Layers of ice are formed into exquisite patterns that curl into "petals" that resemble flowers. College Station, Texas, January 9, 2010
Frostweed (Verbesina virginica) after hard freeze on sewer line right of way in Lick Creek Park. Petals of "frost-flowers" are easily melted and are usually visible in the early morning or in shaded areas. College Station, Texas, January 9, 2010
Turks cap flower with bright red twisted closed petals and long projecting fused stamen column in TAMU Horticultural Gardens in Texas A and M University. College Station, Texas, April 9, 2008
Hairy petals of a flower bud of rudbeckia in TAMU Holistic Garden in Texas A and M University. College Station, Texas, March 31, 2009
Frostweed (Verbesina virginica) after hard freeze on sewer line right of way in Lick Creek Park. Petals of frost flowers are very delicate and will break when touched. College Station, Texas, January 9, 2010
Flower petals of purple pleat-leaf (Pinewood lily, Alophia drummondii, Eustylis purpurea) on Lone Star Hiking Trail near Pole Creek in Sam Houston National Forest. Richards, Texas, June 11, 2019
Some white five-petals flower on Wildflower Loop Trail in Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site. Washington, Texas, March 28, 2020
Bell-shaped flowers of Pointed-Petal Fritillary (Fritillaria acmopetala) in Peter the Great Botanical Garden of Komarov Botanical Institute. Saint Petersburg, Russia, May 18, 2019
Flowers of ten-petal anemone (Anemone heterophylla) in Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site. Washington, Texas, March 1, 2020
Partridge berry (Mitchella repens) flowers with 4 petals in twin-like union near Pole Creek on North Wilderness Trail of Little Lake Creek Wilderness in Sam Houston National Forest north from Montgomery. Texas, April 15, 2021
Partridge berry (Mitchella repens) with flowers having 5 and 6 petals on Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, April 27, 2022
Flower of a ten-petal anemone (Anemone heterophylla) on a trailway near Birch Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 2, 2024
Large, creamy-white petals with a deep crimson/pink center of hibiscus flowers both in natural light and under 365 nm ultraviolet (UV-A) blacklight in Leach Teaching Gardens at Texas A and M University. College Station, Texas, September 12, 2025
Star-shaped yellow flowers have 5 "clawed" petals of Golden Thryallis (Galphimia gracilis) both in natural light and under 365 nm ultraviolet (UV-A) blacklight in Leach Teaching Gardens at Texas A and M University. College Station, Texas, September 12, 2025
A perfectly symmetrical winter basal rosette of a yellowcress (Rorippa species, likely Southern marsh yellowcress, Rorippa teres) blooming on the exposed sandy shore of Lake Somerville. This native wetland pioneer is a member of the mustard family (Brassicaceae). During the cooler months, it forms this flat, circular spray of deeply cut (pinnatifid) leaves to anchor firmly in the shifting sand while maximizing sun exposure and avoiding cold winds. At the very center, the plant has just begun to bolt, producing the tiny, four-petaled yellow flowers characteristic of its family. Texas, February 28, 2026
Focusing closer, the photograph reveals the intricate, densely packed structure of the cursed buttercup (Ranunculus sceleratus) as it colonizes the dried mud. The plants exhibit a vibrant, fleshy appearance, characterized by deeply lobed, shiny green leaves that vaguely resemble flat-leaf parsley or young celery--giving the plant its alternate name, the celery-leaved buttercup. In this dense thicket, the stout, hollow stems branch frequently, creating a tangled, multi-layered canopy. Tiny, five-petaled pale yellow flowers dot the upper stems, standing out brightly against the dark backdrop of the soil and the deeper green foliage below. Flag Pond near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
