1 August 2018 — 1133 mdt

An attractive weed

Meet yellow goatsbeard (tragopogon dubius), aka yellow salsify, aka fistulous goatsbeard, a hardy weed that from a distance resembles a dandelion. The root, long and hairy, exudes a sticky white liquid. Goatsbeard, a great subject for photography, is both a pretty flower and a pretty big nuisance. These images are of goatsbeard in my backyard.

There usually are 13 green bracts behind the yellow petals.

The seed head. I photographed this specimen at the end of yesterday’s gloaming-.

Left, the goatsbeard. Right, the flash mounted on a small tripod.