‘Bashful’

It’s two weeks late this year and so far I’ve seen only the one, but there will soon be many more Yellow Bells dotting the hillsides in western Montana.

Fritillaria pudica (‘pudica’ in Latin means ‘bashful’) are found only in the eleven western-most states, skipping Arizona, and the two western-most provinces in Canada. They are perennials from small bulbs. The bulbs were harvested and eaten by several of the native Indian tribes.