A hot and dry summer moved most wildflowers and flowering shrubs into seed production earlier than expected.   Berries and capsules were more common than flowers on the Stake Lake Trails.

Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) is a low-growing perennial which produces white flowers then, by the end of summer, clusters of edible red berries.

bunchberry

Black gooseberry/Swamp currant (Ribes lacustre) is a spreading shrub with prickles along the stems.   It was showing black berries which were eaten by traditional people and for making jam in modern times.

black gooseberry

Canada thistles (Cerseum arvense) was abundant.    It is a noxious weed with spreading roots.

Canada thistle

Along the trails were various other plants-of-interest – low-growing black huckleberries (Gaylussacia baccata) , pearly everlasting (Anaphalis magaritacea), wild raspberries (Rubus sp.), salsify (Dragopogon dubius), and bearberries (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) were spotted along the trail.   There are also a number of large douglas firs in the area.

black huckleberry

bearberry

raspberry

salsify

douglas fir forest