We hike all year round and on many trails.    In season, we stay alert to the flora and fauna we see along the route.    We stop to observe and photograph what interests us that day.    Plants in flower always attract our attention, but plants (perennials, shrubs, mosses, lichens, and grasses) in earlier stages are worth noting, but may be more difficult to identify.    On a recent hike on a north-facing douglas fir forested area with some grassland open hills, we made a number of stops.

We photographed umber pussytoes (Antennaria umbrinella), low pussytoes (Antennaria dimorpha), small leaf pussytoes (Antennaria parvifolia), golden corydalis (Corydalis aurea), saskatoon (leaf), large-fruited desert parsley (Lomatium macrocarpum), narrow-leaved desert parsley (Lomatium triternatum), locoweed (Oxytropis campsestris), and haircap moss (Polytrichastrum sp.).   Identifications are accurate for some, probable for others, and tentative for one or two.     Click an image for a lightbox view and captions.

Some more work on pussytoes is underway and another post will report some of the research and field work when it is ready.    Please note – Some of these trails are not open to the public until May 25.