I hiked into the Dry Hills between Ashcroft and Spences Creek, looking for bitterroot in bloom.    I was a week too early but still found lots of plants with flowers in bud.

A few of the lewisia rediviva were starting to open up.

But I will need to return again to witness the full display. These dry hills were the host of a number of other wildflowers, like salsify.

Linear-leaved phacelia (phacelia linearis) with single pink-violet terminal inflorescences were easy to miss in the sagebrush and bunchgrasses.

Gaillardia was just forming its first flowers on the lower slopes.

In a gully leafy spurge (euphorbia esula) was flowering.   I was careful not to brush against the plant since the sap causes skin irritation.

Locoweed was flowering on the dry lower slopes of the hills.

A year earlier I had visited the same hills in time for the full display of bitterroot. Images are found on this post – Bitterroot Bloom.