Butter-and-Eggs Toadflax
Linaria vulgaris
Plantaginaceae (Plantain Family)
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Type: Simple
Height: 1 - 3 feet
Habitat: Roadsides, waste places, dry fields
Blooms: June - October
This plant has long spurs that hold nectar. The orange path on the flower acts as a "honey guide" to the nectar for insects (National Audubon Society, 2001). The stems of this plant are smooth and the flowers are arranged in a terminal raceme (Elliman & Trust, 2016). The leaves are lance-shaped and resemble those of the flax plant which gives part of it's name "toadflax". The toad part of it's name comes from the resemblance of the opening of it's corolla to a toad's mouth (National Audubon Society, 2001).
References
Elliman, T., & Trust, N. P. (2016). Wildflowers of New England (A Timber Press Field Guide) (Illustrated ed.). Timber Press.
National Audubon Society. (2001). National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers--E: Eastern Region - Revised Edition (National Audubon Society Field Guides) (2nd Revised ed.). Knopf.