Rabbitbrush in bloom in Grasslands National Park

Stalk of Rabbitbrush, with flowers. © SB

Time for a late summer hit of yellow, with the Rabbitbrush that blooms in late summer.

We saw an early stand in a very dry, sunny area, south of the West Block of Grasslands National Park, aka, the Badlands.

Rabbitbrush, or Rubber Rabbitbrush it's also called, stands out not only because of its late flowering, but also its pale whitish stems, narrow furry leaves, and woody base that seems disproportionately large.

Tough to see, until you get down on hands and knees, but each flower head within the densely packed yellows clusters is actually comprised of five tiny tubular, star-tipped flowers.

(No, I didn't count — and yes, in my pix, this is less than obvious, but I read it on the USDA Forest Service wildflower site, linked above.)

Rabbitbrush in the Badlands, Grasslands National Park.
(This was the only Rabbitbush plant in bloom, although we saw several others in the area.)  © SB

Closer view of the Rabbitbrush flowers. Vibrant yellow! © SB

Prairie Wildflower: Rabbitbrush
Location: Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan, Canada
Photo Date: July 25, 2016

~~~~~