We drove out to the end of the Clearwater River Road to the confluence of the Clearwater and Mahood Rivers.   Our hike went up the Mahood River to Sylcia and Goodwin Falls and back.   The lower end of the trail was wet, then we climbed through cedar-hemlock forest with stands of birch and mixed forest.    Along the way we noted wildflowers, fungi, ferns, club mosses, and lichens, stopping to take a few photos along the way.

We were pleased to find western false  dragonhead (phsostegia parviflora) growing along the rivershore at the confluence, then at the area below Sylvia Falls.   It is a perennial of the mint family (it was growing in beds of field mint).   Leaves are opposite along the stem.   The flowers are tubular with a hooded top lip.  Dragonhead grows at lower altitudes in wet areas and is not common in the Interior of B.C.

western false dragonhead

In the mist zone from the falls, the herb was growing happily in volcanic rock alcoves.

western false dragonhead

Int the forest, bunchberry (cornus canadensis) had finished flowering and clusters of berries had replaced the white flowers.

bunchberry

Queen’s cup (clintonia uniflora) had also finished the flowering phase and bright blue single berries  stood above the lily leaves.

queen’s cup lily berry

In a swampy zone some late season buttercup/sibbaldia varieties still bloomed.

Various fungi were emerging on either side of the trail.

There was some coral fungus and this less-frequent staghorn fungi.

staghorn fungus

In the mist zone near the falls sweet-scented bedstraw scrambled across other vegetation.

bedstraw

Polypores were well-established on older trees in the damp forests.

We hiked to see the falls, but we enjoyed the forest, swamps, and rivershore areas too.