Missouri Evening Primrose

On Sunday afternoon, we took a trip down to the summer pasture to check on the cattle, and then mosey on down to Lake Perry to look for some wildflowers in bloom. By the way, did you know that Kansas has over 800 wildflower species? This time of year, the first of our wildflowers kicks off the show with its enormous bright yellow flowers.

Blooming for only about a month, its 5 inch lemon yellow blooms open in the early evening, and then close again the following day. It likes to grow in areas that are sparse on other types of plants so it stands out all the more. I remember when I was a kid my mom starting them from seed and growing them in her garden. I would go outside in the evening and watching as the flowers opened.

Once the buds begin to open, they waste no time and reach their full size in a matter of minutes. They are pollinated by moths and after pollination, the flowers turn downward.  I planted some from seed a few years ago so now I can go out in the evening in my own garden and watch the evening primroses pop open.

What wildflowers are blooming in your area?

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Here’s Harland taking his own pics (all the above are mine)  of the opening blooms. You can see just how large these flowers are.

(Also, take note of the pliers on Harland’s belt. A farmer can’t go anywhere without his trusty sidearm. )

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Suzanne

Cattle, corn, wheat, beans, mud, snow, ice, and drought. Plenty of fresh air and quiet. Our life is sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes joyous, but never boring.

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12 Responses

  1. Teresa says:

    Beautiful flowers! I just love the cheerful yellow ones!

  2. Laura says:

    I wish you were my neighbor! I always, always learn something from you and to think that I too live in Kansas. Now I want Missouri Evening Primrose seed of my own.

  3. Elaine Snively says:

    Here in the Midwest, the Evening Primrose send up a sturdy stalk, and several blossoms bloom at one time. A park ranger in Canada once told me that the blossoms make delicious wine.

    In Michigan, where we have a summer place, the Dwarf Lake Iris are in bloom. They look just like the domestic Bearded Iris, except they are only about four inches tall. They are an endangered species.

  4. Sonya says:

    Beautiful pictures. I had no idea that moth were good for anything!

  5. Glyndalyn says:

    Beautiful. Blue eyed grass is blooming in Middle TN.

  6. CreationsbyDina says:

    Here in Ohio we have a lot of wild violets. We know that when the violets are gone that the wild mushrooms are done for the season as well!! I make jelly out of the wild violets!!

  7. Dianna says:

    Not many wildflowers blooming in our southeast corner of VA right now. I have evening primrose in a flowerbed, but it’s pink, and isn’t wild.
    Love your note about Harland’s pliers; my hubby builds race engines, and he usually has pliers or a wrench in his pocket. Which sometimes I find(hear)in the washer if I forget to check pockets!

  8. Doe of Mi. says:

    Really beautiful. Wish I had some in my yard. But, I do have my Bleeding Hearts – white and pink. I’m enjoying those.

  9. Glenda says:

    Elise, I have the tall stalked version you speak of here in MO from seeds given to me. They are a wonder. The blossoms smell like lemon cake! They are a bienniel so you get a short plant the first year with no blooms then the second year they jump up to around 3 ft with multiple blooms for about a month.

  10. Becky says:

    Love the flowers. So pretty. Right now we had rhododendrons blooming. They come out now which is also my granddaughter’s 3rd birthday. Next time I am going to take some to her. I thought about that as we were driving up to see her and her family. There’s always next year! It was so cute today, she wanted to go to the tulip farm. But we told her there weren’t any more til next year!

  11. Oh such pretty yellow flowers. We have so many wildflowers here all the time, but I don’t know the names of any of them. I am going to have to research them to find their names.

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