Two more additions to the spring wildflower show appeared this week and I am glad to see them again! So small, so fragile; I suppose their major impact in this world is upon those who find them in the spring.
The Yellow Bell,
and the tiny Woodland Star.
(Ironically, as I was waiting for the photos to upload to Flickr, I watched a heavy snowstorm sweeping up the river. It was brief though.)
The yellow bell is delightful – like a little cap, and the star is a beauty, too. Oh, I can hardly wait…moan, moan, gripe, gripe.
Comment by barbara — March 26, 2008 @ 6:53 pm
When spring finally gets to your area, Barbara, it will be all that much sweeter for the long wait! There is a heavy snow forecast for parts of western Montana too in the next couple of days, but I think it will miss my area.
Comment by montucky — March 26, 2008 @ 7:18 pm
Very beautiful! I especially like the Woodland Star. I love their petals, they look so slender and delicate – and their color is gorgeous. Great photos!
Comment by AK_Adventurer — March 26, 2008 @ 8:34 pm
The Woodland Star is one I had not seen before last summer, but I’ve really gotten fond of it. It’s so tiny it almost has to be magnified to be appreciated.
Comment by montucky — March 26, 2008 @ 8:41 pm
I love that Woodland Star.
Comment by silken — March 26, 2008 @ 9:23 pm
It’s a beautiful flower, isn’t it? In the last photo, the light orange/brown fibers are pine needles, so it gives a little size perspective. Another flower that probably is often missed by anyone not looking for it.
Comment by montucky — March 26, 2008 @ 10:14 pm
I think we’re taking most of that snow on for you.
Beautiful shots Montucky. Very pretty. Both of these guys are so small the detail is amazing! Great work!
Comment by aullori — March 26, 2008 @ 11:41 pm
Beautiful photographs. The yellow bell is like a tiny little spot of cheer, but the woodland star is just gorgeous with those ragged petals.
May I ask what kind of camera you use?
Comment by Sara — March 27, 2008 @ 5:24 am
I, too, like the Woodland Star. The Yellow Bell looks as though it was expecting that snowstorm. A little forlorn with its hunched shoulders.
Comment by Pinhole — March 27, 2008 @ 5:28 am
So far, our only “blooms” are skunk cabbage… It’s nice to see some spring flowers from other parts of the country… If we have these here, I’ve never seen them!
Comment by winterwoman — March 27, 2008 @ 6:17 am
Lori,
It looks like the snow missed us here, at least so far. We get those little squalls every day followed by sun or rain, but not the heavy snowfall. Th real high elevations are still accumulating some though.
Comment by montucky — March 27, 2008 @ 8:23 am
Sara,
These two have vastly different strategies for blossom design, don’t they? The star is very delicate.
My camera is a Kodak Z712IS. It’s quite suited for taking along into the back country, although the photo quality is not as good as you would get from one of the more expensive ones.
Comment by montucky — March 27, 2008 @ 8:31 am
Winterwoman,
As far as I can tell, the range of the Woodland Star is strictly in the west, only as far east as South Dakota. It’s actually called “Small-flowered Woodland Star” (Lithophragma parviflorum).
Yellowbells, (Fritillaria pudica) are also a western plant, living no farther east than Utah.
It’s also fascinating to me to see wildflowers from other parts of the country!
Comment by montucky — March 27, 2008 @ 8:50 am
Pinhole,
Yes, it’s a pleasure to be able to get out a bit more now that there’s a little dry ground to walk on!
You know, I’ve tried to get a photo of the under side of the yellowbells, but it’s nearly impossible without moving them into an unnatural position. They are especially interesting to me for that reason. One would think their position would make it more difficult for pollination.
Comment by montucky — March 27, 2008 @ 8:58 am
Beautiful. Oh, so beautiful. Sigh.
Comment by nouveaufauves — March 28, 2008 @ 10:27 pm
They sure are, Nouveaufauves!
They seem like little miracles, and I wonder what their purpose is, especially the very tiny ones. We have a tendency to think we think we know so much, but I think there are many questions yet to be answered about the biodiversity of the natural world.
Comment by montucky — March 28, 2008 @ 10:40 pm
[...] The Bravest Little Wildflowers… Before I start babbling I’d like to first post a link to Montucky’s in the field woodland star – he did a fabulous job of capturing it and it’s completely worth a peek. Honestly I would have attempted to capture this in field however, there was just one flower and it was bitter cold outside! It was snowing and the snow melted once it hit the ground. I couldn’t stop shaking long enough to get a sharp image. So first, Montucky’s Woodland Star in field. [...]
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