Sagebrush Buttercup
We hike all winter and as the snows melt, we head into the open grasslands. the first wildflower to appear in late winter-early spring is the sagebrush buttercup.
- Sagebrush buttercups are a member of the large and varied buttercup (Ranunculaceae) family.
- Ranunculus glaberrimus is a low-growing herbaceous perennial.
- Stems extend 5 to 10 cm up from fleshy basal leaves.
- Leaves are rounded on the sides and arrow at the ends where there are 2 notches (check the photos below).
- The bright yellow flowers have a reflective quality
- Five or six petals surround a ring of stamens and pistils.
- We usually spot the flowers in dry grasslands but also on sagebrush slopes and in open ponderosa pine forests.
- The following photos were taken by the author on hikes in the grasslands surrounding Kamloops. Click an image for a larger (lightbox) view including a location and date..
In the mild winter of 2018 – 2019, we spotted a new flower open on the Moonscape Trail on December 23rd, a day before the snows arrived. In other years when the snows have retreated early, we have spotted sagebrush buttercup in bloom in late February, but in most years we see the first flowers in mid-March.
More details:
- As the flowers mature they produce clusters of seeds (achenes). The seeds have a hairy texture and a small hook which can latch onto your boots or socks.
- By late spring the plants wither and by mid-summer we can no longer see where they were growing.
- The plants are poisonous and First Nations people knew to leave it alone.
- The arrival of the sagebrush buttercup is one of the signs that spring has starred so we watch for it in the debris on south-facing slopes in late winter.
- We find the flowers to be very reflective, spoiling the exposure, so we try for samples that are not in direct sunlight. When we edit the images, we turn down the exposure on mid tones and make the background darker.
