Every year in the last part of May I combine a nature hike with another activity in the area to the south of Ashcroft.    At that time, bitterroot blooms on rocky, open slopes near Black Canyon, Elephant Hill, Red Hill, and on the slopes below the Venables Valley, and probably on other hills down toward Spences Bridge.    This year I kayaked Barnes Lake in the hills above Ashcroft, then drove south on Highway 1 to a spot where I could hike up slopes to see the bitterroot in flower.    There were many other plants to observe too, some of which are shared here:

• wollypod milkvetch (Astralagus purshii)
• bitterroot (Lewisia redviva)
• hawksbeard (Crepis sp.)
• salsify (Tragopogon dubius)
• junegrass (Koeleria macrantha)
• fleabane  (Erigeron sp.)
• blanketflower (Gaillardia aristata)

All photos by the author.   click an image for a lightbox (larger) view and a caption/ID:

bitterroot

bitterroot

bitterroot and woolypod milkvetch

bitterroot

gaillardia

fleabane

salsify

hawksbeard

junegrass