We hiked up the steep ridges through the forest and open pine grass slopes on the east side of Red Plateau and then back down in a km loop hike.   Along the way we stopped to notice the emerging widlflowers and spring growth.

Shrubby penstemon (penstemon fruticosus) was starting to flower.   None of the patches we spotted were well-established shrubs yet.   Note the white hairy surface on the lower lip of each flower.

There were a few patches of thread-leaved sandwort (arenaria capillaris) with single terminal white flowers.

The winner for the day was showy Jacob’s ladder (polemonium pulcherrimum) with their colorful flowers.    It was thriving on the rocky, open slopes near the top.

A few butterflies were busy on flowers.   This orange-tip alighted on an emerging arnica blossom.

Fairyslippers (calypso bulbosa) were flowering in dappled light in open forests.

In a damp gully a few rough-fruited fairybells (disporum sp.) were in flower.

In a damp gully, Douglas maple were leafing out, these ones in a patch of sunshine.

We spotted clusters of Canada violets (viola canadensis) on damp, shaded slopes.

The heart-leaved arnicas were attracting a lot of attention from pollinators, herbivores, and predators.

On the lower dry slopes Oregon grape (mahonia) continued to have many flowers.

Each hike brings new surprises, new challenges, and new images to bring home, all part of the year’s cycle, to be continued…