So I know that the May Challenge is over -- congrats again to @Klynesquatch -- but I shot these images today (May 31), so they won't be any good for a June Challenge. .. so I thought I'd post them here, anyway, for a little desert for a fun thread. Location: get to Bangor Maine, then go about 1 hour NW to the township of Garland. (Largest town in Garland -- Garland Center -- is a general store that contains the gas station and PO, plus a dozen houses.) Drive out to Bran's Mill Pond to my friend's house on the pond. Part of the pond from the porch of my friend's house. They call these "ponds", but it's a large lake, an impoundment created when they dammed a good size creek to power a mill (1800's). It flooded a bunch of land, but left a LOT of islands (former hill tops). Here's the long pitch going east in the canoe. By the way: high 80's F, stiff wind that increased as the afternoon passed due to a high pressure system parked just south of Nova Scotia (which is about two hours east of here). A cove. A pond lily bud in the cove. The view from Etta Island. Lichens on Etta.
I hope at some point in my life I have the opportunity to make it to Maine. Beautiful pictures @Stone
Colorado, 9000’ to the east of Yale and Antero mountains. Probably not exactly desert, but barren and super dry.
It looks like mullein, but considering the environment I put my SWAG as yucca. It looks like the ornamental yucca we have here.
If that's a yucca, it's a mutant. Fruits are way too little. And yuccas have leaves -- long sharp ones around the base of the flower stalk. Did my doctoral research on yucca, so know a thing or two about them. But then, ornamentals are mutants, so ... who knows?
Thanks @Hammer @Stone @anrkst6973 @Charlie Delta I only saw the plant in it’s dried state, as I harvested and pictured it. I found some pics of dried mullein in the net, and that seems to be what I have here. Thanks all.
It's mullein (100% sure) Good for hand drill (or bow if you find a big enough stalk). The green leaves are also known to have medicinal properties.
I just read some info in the plant, and it seems to be a great source for many needs. All I brought back was the stalk, but will keep my eye out for this plant in the future. Thanks for the reply.
Mystery solved. I knew I'd seen it before, but couldn't remember mullein. And Mogollon Rim. Ah, memories of the Gila "Wilderness", where Leopold roamed and saw green fire in the eyes of a dying wolf. Man, I miss that area.
