In May, the wildflower parade continues…
Heart-leaved Arnica, Heart-leaf leopard bane, Arnica cordifolia
Blue Clematis, Columbia clematis, Clematis occidentalis
May 4, 2012
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Montana Outdoors 
Wow! that blue Clematis is something else…
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Comment by Roberta — May 4, 2012 @ 10:22 pm
The first two clematis photos were taken today. They must be about at the peak of their bloom now, at least in the area I was in, and seemed to be everywhere. THey climb, and when they are in tall places they look like stylized bluebirds flying through the forest.
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Comment by montucky — May 4, 2012 @ 11:26 pm
Your word pictures are almost as pretty as your photos, Montucky. Stylized bluebirds, indeed!
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Comment by Kim — May 5, 2012 @ 7:24 am
Stunning pics yet again. The clematis is lovely. We have one here that’s very similar, available from garden centres. I wonder if it’s the same species?
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Comment by Jo Woolf — May 5, 2012 @ 12:59 am
This one is a vine which is not reluctant to climb up into the lower branches of the conifers. We have a domestic clematis, which is not of this species and I haven’t tried to transplant any of them.
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Comment by montucky — May 6, 2012 @ 12:02 am
Your wildflower parade has been awesome, what beautiful flowers that most people don’t ever get to see (including me!). Nature always has hidden treasures for us to find! Thank you for sharing your ‘finds’!!
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Comment by bayphotosbydonna — May 5, 2012 @ 6:48 am
There is an awesome display of flowers here that will continue until fall at different elevations. I try to catch as many as I can.
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Comment by montucky — May 6, 2012 @ 12:03 am
And beautifully rendered…I love the details in the macros…fine little hairs and specks of dust/dirt…little bits of life hiding before our eyes. Thank you, Montucky.
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Comment by seekraz — May 5, 2012 @ 7:19 am
A macro lens is a wonderful thing to have for shooting the tiny flowers, and even shows additional details on the larger flowers.
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Comment by montucky — May 6, 2012 @ 12:04 am
I have never seen arnica before and I wonder if this is the one that is used in muscle and joint creams.
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Comment by Tammy — May 5, 2012 @ 7:29 am
I was curious, too, because I have an aunt who’s used arnica creams. From what I can find, arnica montana definitely has medicinal use, but I couldn’t quite figure out if this variety does as well.
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Comment by shoreacres — May 5, 2012 @ 8:40 pm
My favorite plant book does say that the Nlaka’pmx people used this species as a plaster for swellings, cuts and bruises and they did the same with Mountain Arnica Arnica latifolia.
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Comment by montucky — May 6, 2012 @ 12:11 am
I don’t know. I looked up a few on the net but they didn’t give the species.
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Comment by montucky — May 6, 2012 @ 12:05 am
Hi Montucky, Beautiful subjects and well-photographed. I have never seen a wild Clematis only the domestic vining ones. Have a really fine Sunday tomorrow!
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Comment by wildlifewatcher — May 5, 2012 @ 8:09 pm
These are smaller than the domesticated ones that I’ve seen. They grow in large numbers in some areas but do not grow all over.
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Comment by montucky — May 6, 2012 @ 12:14 am
Beautiful. I think you’ve said in the past that arnica is in the sunflower family? And I love the droopy-headed clematis.
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Comment by Candace — May 5, 2012 @ 8:23 pm
Yes, they are in the (very large) sunflower family. We have 5 different species in this area. I like the clematis too. They look very friendly in the woods.
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Comment by montucky — May 6, 2012 @ 12:24 am
The clematis photos are beautiful. My favorite shows the intricate green center – does it spread out like our vining clematis, or does it always stay a little hidden? I had no idea there are so many varieties!
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Comment by shoreacres — May 5, 2012 @ 8:43 pm
They are not very large and do not open up much more than the ones in the photos and always face downwards. The vines will spread over some fairly large areas and up into the lower parts of the trees.
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Comment by montucky — May 6, 2012 @ 12:27 am
Love those clematis!
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Comment by New Hampshire Garden Solutions — May 5, 2012 @ 8:48 pm
I like them too. Come fall I’ll show their seed heads which are interesting too.
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Comment by montucky — May 6, 2012 @ 12:28 am
And three more that are new to me. In Austin we have three native species of Clematis and one of Lithospermum, all different from yours.
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Comment by Steve Schwartzman — May 5, 2012 @ 10:15 pm
The climates where we live are so very different. It’s interesting though that there are similar plants although a difference in species in both areas. We also have a lot of diversity due to elevations too. Plants have an amazing ability to adapt to differences in habitat!
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Comment by montucky — May 6, 2012 @ 12:31 am
You just made me realize that swapping the first and last vowel in the word climates turns it into clematis. Happy anagram to you!
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Comment by Steve Schwartzman — May 6, 2012 @ 8:51 am
The blue Clematis is pretty. Our wild clematis is very different from this as well–it is white and not very showy.
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Comment by kateri — May 6, 2012 @ 8:09 am
When lots of them are blooming, these really liven up the woods along a trail. Very pleasant to see.
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Comment by montucky — May 6, 2012 @ 10:00 pm
Montucky, these are stunning images!!!
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Comment by dhphotosite — May 6, 2012 @ 1:09 pm
Thanks! The nice thing about photographing wildflowers, you can’t go wrong!
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Comment by montucky — May 6, 2012 @ 10:01 pm
The lemon weed, clematis, and arnica are gorgeous. Some of your best photos. I’d love to see the May wildflowers in Montana in person some day, in the meantime I’ll stay tuned to your site!
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Comment by Wild_Bill — May 6, 2012 @ 4:54 pm
You would have a great time here this time of year, Bill, or maybe a little later when the trails into the higher country open up.
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Comment by montucky — May 6, 2012 @ 10:03 pm
Beautiful close-ups! I noticed our clematis that grows up a lattice at the side of our house is starting to bloom. Really early for it here. Our weather is unbelievably warm for early May this year.
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Comment by Mama's Empty Nest — May 6, 2012 @ 7:44 pm
We also have a clematis on a trellis by our back door. So far all it has done is put out a few leaves. It will do very well later in the summer though. It’s flowers are pretty, but I like the wild blue ones better.
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Comment by montucky — May 6, 2012 @ 10:04 pm
I love to say Arnica!! Pretty flower, too. The blue clematis is so graceful.
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Comment by sandy — May 7, 2012 @ 2:45 pm
I often have trouble recalling the names of flowers, but Arnica seems to be easy for me to remember, and I like the clematis so much that it is too.
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Comment by montucky — May 7, 2012 @ 9:08 pm
What a parade ! I did not know about this “arnica cordifolia”, there seems to be many sorts of arnica.
Over here in the Alps, we are more familiar with the “arnica montana” which blooms later, June/July.
Your photos are always so “real”. Thank you montucky.
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Comment by isathreadsoflife — May 8, 2012 @ 12:06 pm
Arnica montana is raised here in the states domestically and is used in various herbal remedies. There are thirty species of Arnica found in the United States alone.
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Comment by montucky — May 8, 2012 @ 9:24 pm
Such detail in your photos! Amazing
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Comment by Evangeline Art Photography — May 10, 2012 @ 9:11 pm
I think it’s wonderful that we have photographic equipment that can capture this kind of detail and enable us to see the beauty of the flowers.
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Comment by montucky — May 10, 2012 @ 10:26 pm
Great parade of wolf flowers. I checked if some of these exist here. Lithospermum ruderale – not in Finland, Arnica cordifolia not here, Clematis occidentalis. I checked what flowers in our small garden have been and found clematis alpina. Its flowers are quite similar to that Clematis occidentalis.
Thank You for all these photos; I enjoyed them by full heart.
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Comment by Sartenada — May 10, 2012 @ 11:16 pm
I’m glad that you enjoyed these, Matti! It’s interesting that you have a similar clematis!
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Comment by montucky — May 11, 2012 @ 7:55 pm
Wow, wild clematis. Nice pictures.
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Comment by bentehaarstad — May 12, 2012 @ 5:20 am
Thanks Bente!
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Comment by montucky — May 12, 2012 @ 10:11 pm