We hiked through the rugged Frederick Bluffs which are the rocky hills overlooking Kamloops Lake.   We went over hill and dale and watched for wildflife and wildflowers along the route.   We saw a hatched clutch of eggs right next to a nest in a grassy depression.

Alumroots (heuchera so.) in flower stood above the grasses on open hillsides.

A tiger moth caterpillar (woolly bear) was feeding on lemonweed.

While and yellow and green leaf beetle (sp.?) fed on yarrow.

Slender hawkbeard (crepis atribarba) extended graceful flowers on bare stems in meadows.

Although yellow salsify (tragopogon sp.) can be weedy in its growth pattern, the flowers are very appealing.

Thompson’s paintbrush (castilleja thompsonii) was abundant, attracting many bees.

On one open hillside, we came across a cluster of meadow arnica.   Their orange-yellow colors looked like asters from a distance.

In a shaded wet spot, star-flowered false solomon’s seal  (smilicina stellata) was in flower, always a beautiful sight.

In these nature posts the goal is to share nature’s beauty as seen in sharp and clear photographs.   There are lots of botanical resources available online and other spots to debate taxonomic differences.   No attempt is made to replicate the academic work done by botanists, nor is there any desire to enter those debates.

We hike for a few hours and stop to appreciate the wonders along the sides of our route each time we go out and will continue for as long as we are permitted to do so.