Rural & Tansyaster

Photography Now and Then #11

Today’s photo: Decaying rural cabin, Pope County, Arkansas; 1/11/2018 8:42 AM (Pentax K-3 II).

Today’s photo1: Decaying rural cabin, Pope County, Arkansas;  1/11/2018 8:42 AM (Pentax K-3 II).

Another cloudy, dark day on the way to the gym.  I took a different route and got a few photos on the way.  It had warmed up overnight and was up to about 55°F. It was get to about 60° before a cold front is to take us down into the low 20s.

Photo Favorite: Colorado tansyaster wildflowers, Pikes Peak, Colorado, August 25, 2004 (Kodak EasyShare DX4530)

Photo Favorite2: Colorado tansyaster wildflowers, Pikes Peak, Colorado, August 25, 2004 (Kodak EasyShare DX4530)

Xanthisma coloradoense3

Xanthisma coloradoense (syn. Aster coloradoensis, Machaeranthera coloradoensis) is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Colorado tansyaster. It is native to Colorado and Wyoming in the United States.

This cushion plant[2] is a perennial herb growing from a taproot and branching caudex. It grows up to 14 centimeters tall, with several to many thick, hairy stems. The hairy leaves are lance-shaped to spatula-shaped and the edges are lined with large, sharp teeth tipped with bristles. The inflorescence is a solitary flower head with narrow, white-tipped phyllaries. It contains pink or purple ray florets up to 1.5 centimeters long and many disc florets. The fruit may be nearly a centimeter long including its pappus.

This plant grows in mountains, often in an alpine climate. Habitat types include grassland, pinyon-juniper woodland, and alpine fellfield. It grows in open areas. There is often little vegetative cover and the terrain is rocky.


  1. Today’s Photo is a photo that is almost always taken the day of the blog post.  In some instances, posts may be backdated if internet access is not available on the day of the photo or other reasons prevent posting Now and Then.
  2. Photo Favorite is a randomly selected older photograph from a batch of photos specifically “curated” for Now and Then.
  3. Xanthisma coloradoense – Wikipedia

Note: Reference links were accessed on the date the blog post was published, unless otherwise stated.

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