Starting to get the hang of it...
I have been "iNatting" now for about 2 months and feel like I am beginning to grasp plant identification more. I have been comfortable with identifying birds from my previous experiences, but plants were always severely lacking on my part. With the help of some very knowledgeable folks who know plants like the back of their hand, I expect to keep getting better. My goal is to start being able to group plants I can't identify into at least their Order if not their Family. I figure if I can do that, I can start to see patterns in what I am seeing at the Genus and Species level and start to identify more common plants on those levels. I also want to begin to use more scientific names rather than common names. My background and training involved categorizing things into groups based on various factors. If I can start categorizing plants, then I should be able to narrow down what I am seeing much quicker and with less help.
My new plant this month is Sisymbrium irio (London Rocket). Several sprouted in my backyard after seeing some at some other sites in Lubbock. Usually, I pull weeds from the yard immediately, but left the 5 individuals that were growing in my backyard this spring to see what they turn into. They have grown up to a couple of feet tall. According to the internets (Wikipedia), the name "London Rocket" comes from its abundance after the Great London Fire of 1666. I suppose the species came across the Atlantic with the settlers for the next couple of centuries.
Talk about a British Invasion in the 60's...the 1660's.
