Bluebells

Along the trail to the celebration of the trilliums there was a bonus: bluebells have begun to bloom.

Small Bluebells, Long-flowered Lungwort, Trumpet Bluebells ~ Mertensia longiflora

A trillium celebration

Not far from here, nature conducts a trillium celebration that I have attended for several years and intend to continue attending as long as I am able. It takes place at exactly this time of year a couple of miles up a very steep and narrow trail that is perpendicular to the traffic flow through these parts, along a creek that flows down its canyon from Koo Koo Sint Ridge through the TeePee – Spring Creek Roadless area.

In a small area of some fifty yards in length and perhaps forty in width, hidden among (and protected by) thick brush in the canyon, thousands of trilliums begin their bloom all at once. Few folks ever venture there to see them.

Western White Trillium or Pacific Trillium, Trillium Ovatum:

Still the time of the hardy ones.

Though we in the northern states often become distracted by visions of spring in other parts of the country and the world, nature always does what has been successful for millenniums. Yes it’s spring, but last night’s low was 28°f and it’s still only the time for the small ones and the hardy ones.

Shooting Star, Dodecatheon pulchellum

Blue-eyed Mary, Collinsia parviflora

Next week the Trilliums should appear along a favorite trail (if it’s clear of snow). I will try for them on Monday perhaps.

For the easily amused

With our late spring there just hasn’t been much in the way of wildflowers appearing yet, but the winter moss is doing extraordinarily well. On the first mile or so of one of my favorite trails today there is a cliffy area where the greens were ever so pretty.

While admiring the moss on the cliff I noticed that there was quite a lot of water dripping through it and then I got sidetracked. What if I could catch a water droplet on a piece of moss? … and here’s where that took me. Sometimes it’s not too bad to be easily amused.

Improvement

Spring has been slow to develop here this year and has little more than morphed into a lingering, wet winter. I’m anxious for the real spring to begin but so far it has not. However, there has been a little improvement. Last week, this is how the neighborhood appeared:

Today, the snow gave way to about an inch of rain, creating a puddle in our west lawn and an opportunity for an “umbrella” shot:

Small-flowered Woodland Star

After a week of snow and rain, the sky cleared a little today and I was surprised to see that the first Woodland Stars of the season are in bloom. The plants are small (only about two inches tall), but the blossoms are as pretty as always.

Sagebrush Buttercups have also spread out the range of their bloom .