Plains Coreopsis

This is one of my favorite Texas wildflowers.  It is called Plains Coreopsis.  I have also heard it called tickseed.  It usually blooms here from late March until summer.  It has perfect timing here because it starts blooming right when my bluebonnets are looking very ugly while I wait for them to go to seed.  The plants are usually 1-2 feet high.  The stems are solitary, leafy, and multi-branching.  The flower heads are about 1 inch across yellow with a red-brown spot in the middle.  Sometimes they may be all yellow or all brown.  The leaves are 2-4 inches long.  It mainly grows  in moist area in prairies, pastures, and fields.  This is one of my all time favorite spring/summer wildflowers.  It blooms for a really long time.  And it even lasts a long time when you are having extreme weather conditions.  This is a must have for wildflowers.