Plants in the city, where most of us spend most of our time, grow in lawns, fields, roadsides, sidewalks, flower beds, and practically anywhere else there's even a tiny bit of soil.
There are so many different kinds of in-town plants, such diversity in leaves and flowers. Many are small, but each is distinctive and with a little practice, anyone can learn the appearance and names of the species we see every day. It gives such an interesting perspective to walk down a sidewalk and recognize a dozen species as more than just "weeds." Knowing their names opens the door to information about them, including the part of the world where they are native, how they may have spread across the world, their economic uses, and their evolutionary relationships.
Here are photos of common species (excluding trees and shrubs) that grow in Fort Worth and a wide surrounding area, divided into the months in which they begin to flower. We hope this will help and encourage teachers and students to learn to recognize them and develop closer connections to the natural world.
* February - March
Shepherd's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris), Mustard Family
Pepper Grass (Lepidium virginicum), Mustard Family
Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule), Mint Family
Chickweed (Stellaria media), Pink Family
Stork's bill (Erodium cicutarium), Geranium Family
Common groundsel (Senecio vulgaris), Sunflower Family
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), Sunflower Family
Field Madder (Sherardia arvensis), Madder Family
Bedstraw (Galium aparine), Madder Family
Common speedwell (Veronica persica), Figwort Family
Blue Grass (Poa annua), Grass Family
Pansy (Viola tricolor and hybrids), Violet Family
Daffodils, jonquils, and narcissus (Narcissus species), Amaryllis Family
not pictured:
Crow Poison (Nothoscordum bivalve), Lily Family
Suckling Clover (Trifolium dubium), Pea Family
Ten-Petal Thimbleweed (Anemone berlandieri), Buttercup Family
Sticky Mouse-Ear Chickweed (Cerastium glomeratum), Pink Family
Spiny-Leaf Sow Thistle (Sonchus asper), Sunflower Family
False Hawk's Beard (Youngia japonica), Sunflower Family
