Ladies and gentlemen (and the rest of you lot), we have a winner

Colin Gilmore

Last night I was at an outdoor concert, perhaps two dozen folks gathered around a campfire and listening to young Colin Gilmore play his guitar and sing. Marshmallows were roasted, as is de rigeur when folks gather at campfires. I observed only as I do not really care for marshmallows, raw or cooked.

Scarlet globe mallow (courtesy this site)

A friend and I have been trading e-mails today and discussing marshmallows. I asked if she had ever eater mallows. No. Nor have I. But that led to some googling. And lo, the answer to a question I posed yonks ago and no one had answered. The flower I see around here each autumn is a scarlet globe mallow. One friend suggested that it resembled hollyhocks and, indeed, they are all in the same family. The photo above is of an example in Arizona, the state next door, so I feel comfortable in the identification.

Did you care about all this? Of course not. But I think we should celebrate when we learn new things.

If you are in California, you can catch Colin as he journeys up the coast. Click the "shows" button for the venues. He will be in Culver City, Oxnard, Felton, Berkeley, Grass Valley, and Eugene, Oregon. He also mentioned something about Nicasio Ranch last night but I don't see that listed.

--the BB

Calling all New Mexico botanists!

The photo above is a bit out of focus (I believe the wind was blowing as I took it). You may click on it to enlarge. I took this photo on St Cyprian's Day last year: September 13, 2006.

These flowering plants appear to grow wild and I like the pale orange blossoms but I have not seen a photo in any field guide that strikes me as this plant. Can someone tell me what it is?

Thanks in advance.
--the BB