In the McQueen Lake Area
We hiked on trails in the McQueen Lake area through the forest, along some clearings, and around some lakes at 969 m (3179 ft).
In the grass-covered glades and pastures sticky geranium (geranium viscosissimum) was starting to flower. The petals have purple veins.
sticky geranium
Field chickweed (cerastium arvense) was abundant in the grassland openings. The white partly-translucent petals are notched.
chickweed
In the forest were patches of fairyslippers (calypso bulbosa). These showy orchids are a highlight on spring hikes.
fairyslipper
Heart-leaved arnica (a. cordinfolia) was abundant in the forest, bringing color to the douglas fir forest, with the understory green from spring pinegrass.
arnica
In damp spots, smilacena stellata (star-flowered false solomon’s seal) had small white terminal flowers.
star-flowered false solomon’s seal
In open, drier spots various vetches and peavines were starting to flower.
vetch
Small-flowered penstemon (p. procerus) was just starting to appear in openings in the forest with their blue-purple-pink flowers.
small-flowered penstemon
We hike all year round, but our spring hikes are a quiet passage decorated by a celebration of Nature’s renewal.
I love that area. Thanks for sharing. You are the only naturalist that I know who takes so much of an interest in wildflowers. My Mom was a amateur botanist and my Dad was a horticulturalist, so I was born with 2 big, green thumbs. I have taken digital photos of every species of wildflower in the Kamloops are for the last 16 years. My last shot was the Prairie smoke seedheads. Nice work!