Oh my, I goofed!

When I posted some photos the other day I misidentified a couple of plants!
While it is accepted as an alternative name, Sand Verbena is properly known as Prostrate Vervain. Vervains are part of the rather small Verbena family.

Wild Radish, of the mustard family

But darn, the plant I called African Rue is really Wild Radish, another member of the rather ubiquitous mustard family. Except for the sunflower family, mustard is the most diverse and numerous group of western weeds! I have identified and photographed the Rue but it blooms later in the season and has different leaves. Here is the Wild Radish, correctly labeled. Shame on me for fifteen minutes for this careless error! And the very delicate white flowers that resemble Baby's Breath are another mustard, this one called Hoary Cress! That was one I had never identified before and it took some intense review in my go-to reference book.

Weeds of the West is a wonderful and well illustrated encyclopedia of darn near every plant that can be called a weed from New Mexico to Montana--the whole west is well covered. While some plants are regional others prevail through the entire region. The book is the collaborative effort of seven experts, mostly extension weed specialists in various states and/or affiliated with state agricultural university programs. It is published by the University of Wyoming and the ISBN should someone want to get it is 0-941570-13-4. The version I own was revised and reissued in 1992 but there may be a later version.

Tiny red blooming cactus of "pincushion" type