On a rainy May day, I drove to the upper grasslands to see the chocolate lilies and whatever else was emerging.   I wasn’t disappointed.   Chocolate lilies (fritillaria sp.) were abundant .

Delicate small-flowered woodland star (lithophragma sp.) was also prolific in this area, another favorite.

Few-flowered shooting stars (dodecatheon spp.) were near the end of the bloom cycle at lower elevations, but a few were still emerging at this higher location (971 m).

Early blue violets (viola sp.) were emerging in small clusters close to the ground.

In shaded areas, star-flowered false solomon’s-seal (smilichina stellata were all flowering with creamy-white small flowers at the end of narrow terminal stalks.

Clusters of slender stems of field chickweed (cerastium sp.) rose above last years grasses with white, near-transparent petals.

And,  wherever western spring beauty was in bloom, we stopped to admire the display.

There are two or three moderate trails in the Lac du Bois Grasslands Nature Conservancy that are perfect for nature hikes, especially in spring.