Just got back from beautiful Tucson Mountain/Saguaro NP area. If you haven't yet driven out of the city, you must go and see the wildflowers! Picacho Peak was stunning around March 1st. Route 86 towards Organ Pipe Cactus NM is beautiful, and so is the Park, all the parks! We also saw 20,000 sandhill cranes wintering in the Whitewater Draw, southeast of Tombstone off Davis Rd. Watching and listening to those birds fly in and out of each other in a sky dance was one of the most amazing experiences of my traveling life.

I'm not sure Bluebonnets would be happy. There's a native southeastern Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja cocciniea), but I've only seen it near creeks in part shade. It's biennial. For sun, try Coreopsis lanceolata (blooming now in your area, I bet -- I just saw it in NE Alabama less than a week ago), Echinacea purpurea, Ratibida pinnata, various goldenrods, Gaillardia, as well as asters. If your meadow is on the moist side, phlox species will do well, such as P. paniculata, P. pilosa, P. glaberrima, P. maculata. Silphiums are a wonderful big impact plant in a meadow. Look for S. compositum (Rosinweed) and S. perfoliatium (Cup Plant), both of which I believe are native to your area. Well, come to think of it, the latter one might not be, but it'll grow like it was born there. That puppy will get 12 feet tall. And, of course, Rudbeckia hirta (Black Eyed Susan) is always a pleasure. Sunflowers are a good choice, too. In my area I often see them near woods edges where they get a little shade. Some nice perennial types are: Helianthus atrorubens (Appalachian Sunflower), H. hirsutus (rampant spreader in moist soil), H. tuberosus (Jerusalem Artichoke -- ditto on the rampant spreading), and H. divaricatus and H. microcephalus for shadier sites. Biggest issue is where to find seed. You can often swap for stuff like this. I'd also Google the names (use the botanical names I listed for best results) to find seed sources. Soeur

Thank you to everyone for enlightening me on the various aspects of goldenrod. The web site was very helpful. I have my Canada goldenrod planted in slightly heavy clay soil so it should clump quite nicely. Not sure if I should remove it or keep it. Not to mention the unknown variety next to it. The only plant companions I am worried about are the Tango Lilies. I started this garden in a very hot sunny spot to attract bees and butterflies. The Sedum attracts the bees and the monarda and coneflowers do the rest of the work. So I guess I could always move the lilies if need be. I am leaning toward keeping it and watching nature unfold.

Thanks for sharing those shots Sam. Isn't it amazing how many little beauties are out there just waiting for us to slow down long enough to take a close look at them? I'm sure they're more interested in the insects and birds noticing them so they get pollinated than us, but, its amazing how much "work" they go to to put on a show. Its still a little early in the season for us to have many wildflowers. And, so far, its been dry, so we may have a light year this year on our wild flower displays. Here's a link to some I took last year Here is a link that might be useful: