Native Plants
Muller, Thomas L.
Tom credits his dad for his love of all things outdoors. His dad took him camping at a very early age and he fell in love with the mountains, streams and woodlands of his native Virginia, especially the Blue Ridge Mountains of Shenandoah National Park. Tom's dad was also an avid photographer, who loved photographing nature's beauty wherever he found it. His dad helped Tom develop an eye for that special picture.Tom's first real camera was a bulky 35 mm SLR. That camera lasted several decades and shot many thousands of pictures. At that time, Tom thought of himself simply as a hiker or explorer who also liked to take pictures. He rarely set out with a particular photographic objective in mind. It was while using that bulky 35 mm on his expeditions that Tom developed his first rule for his style of outdoor photography: "A camera must be small enough to keep handy at all times." More often than not, a camera tucked inside a pack will stay there and you'll never take that special shot. Tom's first digital camera was a Casio Exilim Z750, not a professional's camera, but it met Tom's first rule. Small enough to fit in a pocket or strapped to a pack strap, it went with him nearly everywhere.
Tom's special interest in wildflowers began in 2006 when his job took him to El Paso, TX. The west Texas landscape was vastly different from the eastern forests. So for over a year Tom spent nearly every weekend hiking, backpacking and exploring, his camera always close by. He had heard folks lament that the desert was dead and uninteresting. Tom found just the opposite, especially the incredible variety of wildflowers. Even in the desert, God creates tremendous beauty, if you are willing to look for it... and sometimes get down on all fours to get a better view. It was in trying to identify the western wildflowers he had photographed, which eventually numbered over 80 species, that he became acquainted with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Tom, a chemical engineer by training, is now back home in Delaware, shooting a Canon G9. He still hikes, backpacks, hunts and camps whenever possible. And you can bet his camera is never out of reach.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is committed to developing the premier resource for native plant images in North America through continued growth of the Plant Image Gallery. You can help us achieve our mission ...to increase the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants, and landscapes... by becoming a contributor.
scientific name | common name(s) | image gallery |
Oenothera biennis | Common Evening-primrose King's Cure-all Common Evening Primrose | |
Oenothera biennis | Common Evening-primrose King's Cure-all Common Evening Primrose | |
Oenothera pallida ssp. runcinata | White Sands Evening Primrose | |
Oenothera pallida ssp. runcinata | White Sands Evening Primrose | |
Oenothera suffrutescens | Scarlet Beeblossom Scarlet Gaura | |
Oenothera suffrutescens | Scarlet Beeblossom Scarlet Gaura | |
Oenothera villosa ssp. villosa | Hairy Evening-primrose | |
Oenothera villosa ssp. villosa | Hairy Evening-primrose | |
Opuntia engelmannii | Cactus Apple Prickly Pear | |
Opuntia engelmannii | Cactus Apple Prickly Pear | |
Opuntia engelmannii | Cactus Apple Prickly Pear | |
Opuntia phaeacantha | Tulip Prickly Pear Brownspine Prickly Pear Cactus Purple-fruited Prickly Pear Brown-spined Prickly Pear New Mexico Prickly Pear Desert Prickly Pear | |
Opuntia phaeacantha | Tulip Prickly Pear Brownspine Prickly Pear Cactus Purple-fruited Prickly Pear Brown-spined Prickly Pear New Mexico Prickly Pear Desert Prickly Pear | |
Opuntia polyacantha | Plains Prickly Pear Hair-spine Prickly Pear Nopal Peludito | |
Opuntia polyacantha | Plains Prickly Pear Hair-spine Prickly Pear Nopal Peludito | |
Opuntia santa-rita | Santa Rita Prickly Pear Purple Prickly Pear | |
Oxytropis besseyi var. ventosa | Bessey's Locoweed Windy Locoweed | |
Oxytropis besseyi var. ventosa | Bessey's Locoweed Windy Locoweed | |
Oxytropis lambertii | Purple Locoweed | |
Oxytropis lambertii | Purple Locoweed | |
Oxytropis lambertii | Purple Locoweed | |
Parkinsonia aculeata | Retama Paloverde Mexican Paloverde Jerusalem Thorn Horsebean Lluvia De Oro | |
Packera aurea | Golden Groundsel Golden Ragwort Butterweed | |
Packera aurea | Golden Groundsel Golden Ragwort Butterweed | |
Packera aurea | Golden Groundsel Golden Ragwort Butterweed | |
Packera aurea | Golden Groundsel Golden Ragwort Butterweed | |
Packera aurea | Golden Groundsel Golden Ragwort Butterweed | |
Packera aurea | Golden Groundsel Golden Ragwort Butterweed | |
Packera aurea | Golden Groundsel Golden Ragwort Butterweed | |
Packera aurea | Golden Groundsel Golden Ragwort Butterweed | |
Packera aurea | Golden Groundsel Golden Ragwort Butterweed | |
Packera aurea | Golden Groundsel Golden Ragwort Butterweed | |
Packera aurea | Golden Groundsel Golden Ragwort Butterweed | |
Parthenium integrifolium | Wild Quinine American Fever-few | |
Parthenium integrifolium | Wild Quinine American Fever-few | |
Parthenium integrifolium | Wild Quinine American Fever-few | |
Pedicularis canadensis | Canadian Lousewort Wood Betony | |
Pedicularis canadensis | Canadian Lousewort Wood Betony | |
Pedicularis canadensis | Canadian Lousewort Wood Betony | |
Pedicularis canadensis | Canadian Lousewort Wood Betony | |
Pedicularis canadensis | Canadian Lousewort Wood Betony | |
Pedicularis canadensis | Canadian Lousewort Wood Betony | |
Pedicularis canadensis | Canadian Lousewort Wood Betony | |
Penstemon canescens | Eastern Gray Penstemon Eastern Gray Beardtongue | |
Peritoma serrulata | Rocky Mountain Bee-plant Stinking-clover Bee Spiderflower Navajo Spinach Pink Cleome Toothed Spiderflower Skunkweed | |
Peritoma serrulata | Rocky Mountain Bee-plant Stinking-clover Bee Spiderflower Navajo Spinach Pink Cleome Toothed Spiderflower Skunkweed | |
Pediocactus simpsonii | Simpson Hedgehog Cactus Mountain Ball Cactus | |
Pediocactus simpsonii | Simpson Hedgehog Cactus Mountain Ball Cactus | |
Penstemon unilateralis | Oneside Penstemon Oneside Beardtongue | |
Penstemon unilateralis | Oneside Penstemon Oneside Beardtongue | |
scientific name | common name(s) | image gallery |