What the heck are these?? (Plant identification requested)

StoryofWoe

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A couple of months ago, I went out to my backyard just as all the green things were coming up, and saw these pretty white flowers growing in a place I hadn't planted them. I buy wildflower mixes every year and sow them in a long plot at the center of my yard, so I figured the seeds must've been planted by the wind last year. I assumed they were poppies because of their shape, but now that they've gone to seed, I have no idea what the heck they are. They look like somebody's fairy godmother got a little tipsy and decided to turn a flock of sheep into a flower patch.

Picture of the flower in-bloom: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi0NsIxh4QJ/

Picture of the flower gone to seed: https://www.instagram.com/p/BkOexLlhWsk/

I live in the Northeastern US, in case that matters.
 

Enlightened

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Here's how to find out....

1. https://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi
2. Click on the camera icon. Click upload an image. Browse and upload. Google will reverse look it up, and you should get your answer (comparing it to other pics with descriptions of the flower).
 

StoryofWoe

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Thank you, Enlightened!

A quick reverse Google image search reveals that they are Japanese anemone: https://goo.gl/images/rviyxs.

Here's a pic of Japanese anemone gone to seed: https://goo.gl/images/hBukH2. What's really funny is that when I did the reverse image search of the seed pic, I got photos of actual sheep in my results.

AW Admin, they do look a LOT like Matilija poppies, but the centers are rounded, whereas poppy centers have a more cone-like shape with ridges.

Mystery solved. :)
 
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Enlightened

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My pleasure. I would have looked it up for you, but I could not access the pictures. I do not have an Instagram account. It's a good trick to know as well!
 

stephenf

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There is a lot of variations of the same plants, so identification can be difficult. Japanese anemones have quite big leaves, that start to grow in early spring. The leaf stem will grow about 3 foot tall. The flowers are on the end of long hollow stems and appear mid-summer and will last until the weather becomes wintery. The leaves die back in the winter and you just have the brown flower stems with fluffy seed heads, that attract the birds. Poppies, on the other hand, can appear from nowhere, grow quite quickly and the flowers are short live. Some verities the flowers will only last a few days.
 
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