Although we have come across evening primrose in the southwest desert lands, we only spot it low-elevation, dry, south-facing locations in the Thompson River Valley. Oenothera villosa is a perennial (or biennial) herb that grows from a thick taproot. … Continue reading →
Wild asparagus is the same plant that we think of as garden asparagus. Over centuries it has spread across the continent, growing in areas that meet the right conditions (damp soil, full sun, slightly alkaline). It sends up spears in … Continue reading →
We have hiked into subalpine meadows in the southern part of our region at the right time on a few occasions and have found ballhead waterleaf in bloom. Hydrophyllum capitatum is a perennial in the waterleaf family. The roots … Continue reading →
We have spotted striped coralroot, spotted coralroot, and yellow coralroot in the forest, often in large clumps. With no green parts, they are easy to identify as coralroots , although it can be more diffucult to decide which one it … Continue reading →
All photos were all taken by the author. All other information is provided through quotes from professional sources, with citations provided. “Deathcamas is one of the first plants to begin growth in the early spring. In the foothills, deathcamas generally … Continue reading →
Some wildflower images from a hike on Embleton Mountain in July are shared here in an image viewer. Can you identify all 5 of them? Click an image for the answer to each.
Continue reading →Rick Tucker provided some photos from a trip to Waterton National Park in June. All of the photos and captions are Rick’s, shared here for us to enjoy. Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption. … Continue reading →
We hiked the lower slopes and paddled the lakes for a week, and even did a downriver paddle on the river in the Radium – Invermere Valley. We spotted a number of wildflowers and stopped to take photos, enjoying spring … Continue reading →
Yellow agoseris is one of my favorites. We have run into patches of these blooms in dry forests, in established, gravelly glades, on south-facing slopes, in burned forests, and on the fringes of open uplands meadows. Agoseris glauca is also … Continue reading →
It is easy to miss the flowering of field chickweed in spring. The low-growing herbs have small flowers and the blooms appear among many of the more noticeable wildflowers, but we stop to admire the semi-transparent petals, arranged around a … Continue reading →
We usually run into mountain forget-me-nots while hiking through alpine meadows. Our first encounter is at lower elevations (Neskonlith Meadows in April), then later in subalpine locations like the alpine meadows on Tod Mountain, in the Marble Range, and in … Continue reading →
A new video now available on YouTube: In 2019, the first arrivals appeared on the first day of spring.
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