Photo by George Wall taken in the White Tank Mountains

It’s that time again, Spring, and that means flowers. Here in Arizona, with a little moisture, the hillsides can really be beautiful with such flowers as Brittlebush, Mexican Poppy, Blue Dicks, Scorpion Weed, Lupine Globemallow, and Owl Clover among others.

I picked Owl Clover as the item of the month because of the unusual name. After searching the internet, I finally found out that it was named Owl Clover because the little flowers supposedly looked like owls (personally I can’t see the owl). The Mexican people call it Escobita which means “Little Broom” – now I can see that.

Owl Clover is part of the Snapdragon Family which includes such plants as Foxglove and the well known Indian Paintbrush. These flowers are annual and can grow to 16” in dense spikes or bracts. They bloom from March to May especially after some good rain producing a tiny yellow flower surrounded purple bracts (modified leaves).

The pictures shown are the Common Owl Clover. There are varieties called Buttered, Mohave, Purple-white, Two-tone and Yellow. A variety was first found in Montana in July 1806 by the Lewis and Clark Expedition. No matter where you find it and what variety, it is a beautiful wildflower.