The big thistle with vase-shaped heads that is the symbol of Scotland and all things Scottish. These were blooming in the median of a parking lot in Brushton.
For a description of the species, see the Cirsium vulgare reference page.
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Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare)
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Chicory (Cichorium intybus)
Photographed July 8. The unmistakable cheery blue flowers that decorate our roadsides in the summer. These were blooming in the median of a parking lot in Brushton.
For a description of the species, see the Cichorium intybus reference page.
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Nipplewort (Lapsana communis)
Photographed June 22. Delicate dandelion-like flowers that prefer open shade. These were growing by the hundreds along the trains in Bird Park, Mount Lebanon.
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Salsify (Tragopogon dubius)
Photographed June 1. Also called oyster-flower or goat’s-beard. There are three similar species, all naturalized from Europe; this one can be distinguished by the “peduncle upwardly enlarged below the head,” as Fernald’s revision of Gray explains. We can see what that means in the picture below: note how the flower stem—the “peduncle”—thickens as it goes up toward the base of the flower head.
These plants were growing in a gravely patch of ground beside Banksville Road in Banksville.
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Philadelphia Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus)
Photographed May 9. Little daisy-like flowers with raggedy heads of countless white or pink rays. It’s a common weed in lawns and along sidewalks in the city. The pink-blushed forms are especially decorative. The flowers above were blooming in Highland Park, the rest in Beechview.
Photographed May 3. For a description of the species, see the Erigeron philadelphicus reference page.
Photographed May 4. 
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