at last!

i have seen these winter stems for years, and have yet been able to identify them. i thought maybe they were vervain for a while. and at long last, i finally figured it out–evening primrose! i only know it because i saw these very evening primroses in bloom only two months ago. it still surprises me how few resources there still are for identifying wildflowers in their winter state. after i took this photo, i put these stems in a grocery bag and shook the heck out it, so i could gather the seeds. i got a nice handful of seeds that i will sprinkle along the lakeshore next spring.

p.s. welcome to december. what? how did that happen so fast?

common evening-primrose in winter