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Monthly Archives: May 2026

Lower Rose Nature Hike

Wildflower Journal Posted on 2026-05-28 by D. Smith2026-07-01

On a warm mid-May morning I hiked for 2 hours on a grasslands-benchland, sometimes known as the Lower Rose area.   It was a combination of hiking-exercise and a nature-hike.   There were no other people on the trails, but the area is also used by dog-walkers, hikers, and mountain bikers at busier times.    there were a few birds in the open forest on the north-facing slope and in the many gullies.    The loop route climbs ridges, crosses gullies, and has lots of up-and-down.    Along the way I stopped to enjoy wildflowers and other plants, insects, and wildlife.   Shared here are some photos taken on the hike of flowering plants:   meadow salsify (Tragopodon pratenis), bastard toadflax (Comandra umbellata), Thompson’s paintbrush (Catilleja thompsonii), death camas (Toxicoscordion venenosum), upland larkspur (Delphinium nuttallianum), lemonweed (Lithospermum ruderale), field locoweed (Oxytropis campestris), yarrow (Achillea millefolium), spineless horsebrush (Tetradymia canescens), low pussytoes (Antennaria dimorpha), and alumroot (Heuchera cylindrica).

A Google Photos album is embedded as a slideshow:

More information on some of these can be found in posts on this website:

  • upland larkspur
  • meadow death camas
  • lemonweed
  • alumroot

Upcoming posts will be added for more regional wildflowers over time.

 

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Small-flowered Penstemon

Wildflower Journal Posted on 2026-05-22 by D. Smith2026-05-09

Small-flowered Penstemon (Penstemon procerus) is a perennial in the figwort family.    It grows from a woody base and often forms clumps.    The green leaves are oval to lanceolate, growing oppositely and a few leaves grow around the bae on short stems.   Small purple-blue flowers grow in whorls around the stem. After flowering, capsules form with many seeds.   They … Continue reading →

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Lundbom Grasslands Nature Hike

Wildflower Journal Posted on 2026-05-16 by D. Smith2026-05-04
redstem stork's-bill

At the start of May I traveled south to Merritt, then up to the Lundbom Lake area.    The hike was up Sugarloaf Mountain (open grasslands with south-facing slopes), then back into the hills to hike grasslands hills and mixed forest gullies in a 4 hour loop route.    As I hiked I stopped to enjoy wildflowers, flowering shrubs, and … Continue reading →

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Thacker Mountain Nature Hike

Wildflower Journal Posted on 2026-05-10 by D. Smith2026-04-29

We did a hiking tour, going down the Fraser Canyon to hike the Stein River and Alexandra Bridge, then continued south to Hope.    We chose to hike the Thacker Mountain Trails above Hope, between the confluence of the Coquihalla River and the Fraser River and Lake Kawkawa.    The trails were in the Coastal forest with a few open … Continue reading →

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A Spring Hike in the Stein Valley

Wildflower Journal Posted on 2026-05-06 by D. Smith2026-05-04

We traveled to Lytton, then took the reaction ferry across the Fraser River.    We drove to the trailhead at the Stein River to hike upriver in Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park.   The mouth of the river is a dry Interior Plateau zone, but as we hiked west, we went through a transition zone to a wetter and cooler area.  … Continue reading →

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Nature Hikes

There will be many days of hiking in 2026 and a number of them will be to destinations chosen specifically for a nature hike.    A calendar or proposed dates is available online at this link – Ramble On Calendar

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  • Hiking the Timber Lake Hills
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  • Hiking the Tsutswewc Trails
  • Fred Lake Loop
  • Bridge Lake Ice Caves

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  • Barnes Lake Trails
  • Ironmask Hills Hike

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  • Outer Inks Geocaches
  • Lac le Jeune
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A Useful Reference:

  • Flowering Plants of the Kamloops Area (PDF)

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