Weed of the little skunk
By Richard Cretcher

The hierba del zorrillo (weed of the little skunk), an especially showy bloom, is nearing the end of its season. It can be found on the trail along the gorge in El Charco. The English common name clammyweed likely comes from the sticky substance on the plant and the odor probably accounts for the Spanish/Mexican common name. Another plant blooming along the highways now is the limpiatuna, used as a brush to remove the prickles of cacti fruit. If anyone knows its English common name, we would like to hear from you. The third bloom featured this week is the strikingly bright orange Adenophyllum cancellatum. This late blooming plant’s English common name is identified as dogweed in Flores Silvestres, but that may be questionable for this particular species. Also unlisted and undiscovered so far is a Spanish/Mexican common name. Again, any help would be appreciated.

Other wildflowers blooming now include bledo, cebollin, ojo de venado and toloache.

Richard Cretcher has published the wildflower pocket guide Flores Silvestres that is available at the Biblioteca tienda, El Charco, El Tecolote, Border Crossings, La Conexión and Terra.