Botany Photo of the Day will have brief written entries on weekends, holidays and my vacations from April through September. – Daniel
Argemone munita, or prickly poppy, is divided into four subspecies. Assuming I’m correct in my identification to species (which I may not be), it was trivial to identify this to subspecies rotundata – it is the only subspecies which occurs in Nevada, where this photograph was taken.
Read more about prickly poppy via Calflora.net.

Every day I come here to see the day flower/plant.
Every day I look for a flower.
Thank you for your work here.
Love this family! So distinctive and so diverse. I think one of the highest growing vascular plants on the planet is a poppy species in the Himalaya? Here in New England the Bloodroot is a gorgeous spring ephemeral, and Celandine is a naturalised import, each with distinctive Poppy Family sap; red in the Bloodroot, and the thick orange sap in Celandine is renowned as a topical treatment for warts.
I recommend the site on endemism and diversity Daniel cited yesterday. Succinct overview of ecological context for the different regions, plant database, and references section for further reading. Click back for link.
This has to be a close cousin to the matilija poppy.
Argemone munita – Z7 – RHS Index of Garden Plants, Griffiths