When we hike through the hills in March, we usually spot the first wildflowers starting in the middle of the month and then we spot more at the end of the month.   The first appearances are usually on south-facing open slopes above the valley floor.    Slopes that are sloped at the same-opposite angle receive the most direct rays of sunshine.    Slopes also drain better than flat areas.    In the Thompson River Valleys the lower slopes are grasslands or rocky slopes.    The first wildflowers appear in the sagebrush grasslands above the valley.    First sightings are usually sagebrush buttercups (Ranunculus glaberrimus), but sometimes it is rust-infected Boechera (Puccinia monoica).    These are pseudo-flowers, but have the spring yellow hues.    Shortly after, yellow bells appear (Fritillaria pudica).

Some images of the March yellows are shared here in a Google Photos album.    All photos by the author.

 

Sagebrush buttercups are low-growing perennials which grown from thick roots.   The fleshy leaves grow near the base.   The yellow flowers are shiny and reflect the sunlight, sometimes making them difficult to photograph.

The rust-infected Boechera (a mustard) invades the plant and transforms it to its own reproductive processes, forcing yellow pseudo-flowers to attract pollinators to spread the fungus to other plants.

Yellow bells are perennials in the lily family that grow from small scaly bulbs.    They have linear-lanceolate leaves and produce yellow bell-shaped drooping flowers.

There are yellow flowers in April too, but many more wildflowers appear with a variety of hues.