Early Spring Flowers This Morning

[Pond Creek Farm]

My son and I went to the hive around 10:00 this morning to find it a flurry of activity.  Bees coming and going with apparently no interest in either of us.  We looked around and noticed that in the past couple of days little yellow flowers had come into bloom all over the fields.  On closer inspection, we saw that the bees also had noticed these new blooms.  I am not sure what these flowers are, but we took a couple of pics as we followed a bee in her journey across the field.  She did not seem to mind.  I will need to see if I can find a picture on the web so that I can identify this flower.  (ps: I am hopeful the pic link works.  This is the first time I have tried this).

[Kathyp]

that looks a little like something growing at my place.  it's a weed i don't remember seeing before.  i'll be interested in the id.  i would go check now, but here are my spring flowers :-(

[Pond Creek Farm]

We have those little purple ones too, but no snow for us.  I will let you know if I can get an ID on the yellow ones.

[jimmy_in_texas]

looks like American winter cress or Barbarea orthoceras, in the mustard family.

[buzzbee]

Is this your flower Pond Creek?
http://www.missouriwildflowerguide.com/FlowerBlackMedic.asp

[twb]

Hey P.C., I googled "yellow rocket flower" and the picture that came up looked quite similar to yours.

[Pond Creek Farm]

Buzzbee, it sure looks the same as te ones in our field.  I looked online and thought it might be a mustard variety.  The leaves of the flowers in our field are not rounded like those in the picutre, but rather look almost like mum leaves. In any event, I have saved the link you provided to my favorites list.  That is a great resource for me.  I am calling the department of agriculture which is just up the street to ask about the flower.  They have wildgrass and wildflower drill that can be rented, and I am planning on putting our filed into native prarie, so I can kill two birds with one stone.

I am checking out the other two possibiities posted as well.  I really appreciate all of your help. Botany is not yet my thing, but it certainly looks like it might be interesting.

[Pond Creek Farm]

Without a doubt, it is the yellow rocket/barberia vulagris which is a member of the mustard family.  The pictures on the web are a perfect match. We killed off the fescue fall of 2006, and we are seeing new plants each year that we have never had here before.  (I just hope the ragweed is a repeat this year).