Tetraneuris linearifolia
Back in the fall you saw a photograph of a four-nerve daisy bud as it was beginning to open. That picture showed Tetraneuris scaposa, one of two similar species that share the vernacular name. Because of the mild winter we’ve had in central Texas, both species seem never to have gone completely away as 2011 passed warmly into 2012. Now we’re in February, which normally marks the beginning (but far from the peak) of both flowers’ bloom period, so I’ve been happy and not at all surprised to see increasing numbers of these daisies with diminutive flower heads usually only a bit more than half an inch in diameter. I know that the one shown here was Tetraneuris linearifolia because I observed its leaves, which are different from those of the other species. Notice the tiny insect that happened to be on this flower head when I photographed it on Valentine’s Day along River Place Rd. in far northwest Austin.
For more information, and to see a state-clickable map of the places where this species grows, you can visit the USDA website.
© 2012 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
I am so impressed how vivid your yellows are. The flower “jumps” off the page.
Bonnie Michelle
February 18, 2012 at 6:59 AM
The flower may have “jumped,” but I did the opposite: I lay on the ground so I could aim upward to contrast the bright yellow of the daisy against the blue of the sky.
Steve Schwartzman
February 18, 2012 at 8:45 AM
Un soleil dans le ciel hivernal.
Toujours aucune fleur chez moi, le sol est sous une épaisse couche de neige.
lancoliebleue
February 18, 2012 at 7:02 AM
Lancoliebleue (the blue columbine) writes:
A sun in the winter sky.
Still not a single flower where I am; the ground lies beneath a thick blanket of snow.
And I write:
Que cette fleur devenue soleil te réchauffe en attendant le printemps.
May this flower-become-sun warm you up while you wait for spring.
Steve Schwartzman
February 18, 2012 at 9:16 AM
Beautiful yellow! 🙂
Nandini
February 18, 2012 at 7:27 AM
This can be the mellow yellow of the Donovan song from the late 1960s.
Steve Schwartzman
February 18, 2012 at 9:19 AM
“I lay on the ground so I could aim upward…” to get this brilliant contrast.
The things you do for the love of Flora.
~ Lynda
pixilated2
February 18, 2012 at 11:52 AM
Yes, the things I do—some of them not so comfortable. In this case, even lying flat on my side, I still wished I could get the camera lower, but my shutter-release hand was already on the ground. I suppose I could’ve dug a little trough, but that would have been below and beyond the call of duty.
Steve Schwartzman
February 18, 2012 at 12:12 PM
So bold and beautiful. Great job getting down low for the best presentation.
Sheila T Illustrated
February 19, 2012 at 10:34 PM
If I may be so bold, I’ll say that I wanted to give you the lowdown on this species.
Steve Schwartzman
February 20, 2012 at 5:41 AM
Ha! LOL 🙂
Sheila T Illustrated
February 20, 2012 at 5:58 AM
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