What's the name of this flower?

[David Ellis]

Could someone please tell me the popular name of this flower, living in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, Northern California?

[Cereus-validus-...........]

You don't name flowers, you name plant species, Spammy.

Cannot say what it is without seeing the rest of the plant too.

Popular with whom?

[Stephen Henning]

daisies and sunflowers, one of the largest families of flowering plants with some 25,000 species (roughly 10% of the total number of flowering plants). Without a look at the leaves identification is totally impossible.

As a wild guess look up Wyethia (Mules Ears or Mulesear):

[paghat]

With that fly.

-paggers

[David Ellis]

plant-identification neophyte off to a good start. Thank you.

[madgardener]

there are some of us who make good efforts to answer valid questions. the dry wit isn't always appreciated :P composite flowers are my absolute favorites if I had to choose...... madgardener (I loved the links, Stephen!)

[Cereus-validus-...........]

Oh sure.

The Asteraceae (Compositae) is one of the largest flowering plant families.

That should keep a neophyte busy looking for a long long time!!!!