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.
Continue reading →We usually encounter pink monkeyflower in seep zones, seasonal stream channels, and wet meadows in subalpine areas in the mountains in summer. The first time I ran into mimulus lewisii in flower was in 1969 when I hiked around Helm … Continue reading →
We look forward to spotting paintbrush as we hike the trails in late spring and summer. The showy bright red bracts symbolize the arrival of warm weather and the beauty of summer flower meadows. Castilleja miniata or common paintbrush is … Continue reading →
Milkweed emerges in disturbed areas, on the rivershore above the high water mark, and along the sides of paths looking weedy and primitive. When the flowerheads start to emerge we are then reminded of the showy exotic-looking flowers and … Continue reading →
When chicory first emerges, it is not noticed, unobvious with the surge of spring growth, and unremarkable in early stages. It is only when the flowers appear that we stop to notice the weedy-looking plant. In tight clusters chicory can … Continue reading →
We hiked across the Tranquille Hills toward Battle Bluff to get to known fossil beds on shale slopes. It is about a 2 km hike to the best spots. Many shale fragments lie on downslopes, washed down by erosion, … Continue reading →
Shrubby penstemon is one of the finest flowering shrubs of our area, a welcome sight in late spring and summer. Penstemon fruticosas is a low-growing evergreen shrub (or subshrub) that grows on open, rocky hillsides in our area. Many branches … Continue reading →
We hiked from Lac du Bois to the top of Wheeler Mountain passing from the upper grasslands in to the Douglas fir forests. Witch’s hair lichens hung from branches on the way up. The sun shone through the lichens and … Continue reading →
The Napier Lake Ranch Conservancy is located just off Highway 5A near Napier Lake. A short dirt side road climbs the hill to a parking area. Visitors on foot can explore the grassland bench by going through a person gate … Continue reading →
