We traveled southwest to Lytton, then crossed the Fraser River on the reaction ferry to the West Side Road.  We continued north, then west into Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park.   We hiked up the Stein River Trail, spending about 3.5 hours on the trail for an out-and-back hike, and some exploration time in the valley.    The day was sunny and warm and spring was in well-underway in the Coast – Interior transition area of the valley.

Many wildflowers and flowering shrubs were in the process of preparing to flower and a few had blossomed only in the last few days.   The stars of the show were the flowering shrubs, but by mid-May, perennial wildflowers will steal the show.

Shared here are:

• red-flowered currant (Ribes sanguineum)
• Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium)
• field chickweed (Cerastium arvense)
• heart-leaved arnica (Arnica cordifolia)
• kinnikinnik (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)
• bitter cherry (Prunus emarginata)
• woodland star (Lithophragma parviflorum)
• rough-fruited fairybells (Disporum streptodoides)
• old man’s whiskers (Geum triflorum)
• alumroot (Heuchera cylindrica)
• mat saxifrage (Saxifraga bronchialis)
• saskatoon (Amelanchier alnifolia)
• polypody ferns (Polypodium vulgare)
• fragile? forkmoss (Dicranum scoparium)

All photos by the author, from that day.    Click an image for a lightbox (larger) view and a caption/ID.

geum triflorum

Cerastium

fairybells

woodland star

saxifrage

kinikinnick

forkmoss

polypody fern

red-flowering currant

bitter cherry

Oregon grape

arnica

ant on bitter cherry

alumroot

saskatoon

We will back to hike the Stein River Trail again in upcoming years.