Montana Outdoors

May 6, 2015

Today in the Swamp Creek canyon:

Pioneer Violet

Pioneer Violet ~ Viola glabella

Large-leaf Sandwort

Large-leaf Sandwort ~ Moehringia macrophylla

Small White Violet

Small White Violet ~ Viola macloskeyi

Siberian springbeauty

Siberian springbeauty ~ Claytonia sibirica

Smallflower Miterwort, Side-flowered Mitrewort, Cross-shaped Mitrewort

Smallflower Miterwort, Side-flowered Mitrewort, Cross-shaped Mitrewort ~ Ozomelis stauropetala

The yellow violets were blooming in the bubbling water of a spring that was flowing right out of a steep hillside. At the base of the hillside the water accumulated into a tiny stream and at the very edge of that, the white violets bloomed. A fairly subtle difference in habitat, but yet quite a distinct one.

28 Comments »

  1. They’re all beautiful but that last one is special.

    Like

    Comment by wordsfromanneli — May 6, 2015 @ 8:01 pm

  2. I can feel your excitement – been shooting flowers yesterday since a long time. The mitrewort is beautiful!

    Like

    Comment by iAMsafari.com — May 6, 2015 @ 8:20 pm

    • No matter for just how many springs I’ve seen them, they are always new and refreshing. They inject optimism into a life that seems to be losing so much of it.

      Like

      Comment by montucky — May 6, 2015 @ 10:03 pm

  3. Too bad these settings are such a long drive from our place!

    Like

    Comment by Malcolm R. Campbell — May 6, 2015 @ 8:45 pm

    • Yes, it is! I’d just love to see you drive up to the house ready to go on an outing!

      Like

      Comment by montucky — May 6, 2015 @ 10:04 pm

  4. When is a violet not violet? When it’s a pioneer or small and white, apparently.

    That miterwort is special indeed.

    You must be thrilled to have finally rejoined the world of wildflowers.

    Like

    Comment by Steve Schwartzman — May 6, 2015 @ 9:05 pm

    • For many months now I have admired and appreciated your photos of the flowers in your area, but it really does feel good to find a few here again.

      Like

      Comment by montucky — May 6, 2015 @ 10:06 pm

  5. The Ozomelis stauropetala is really interesting. I haven’t seen anything quite like that here before. Great detail!

    Like

    Comment by Jane — May 6, 2015 @ 11:07 pm

    • That’s one of many wildflowers that has such an unusual configuration. I’d love to know the strategy!

      Liked by 1 person

      Comment by montucky — May 7, 2015 @ 8:29 pm

  6. I still haven’t found a yellow violet but they do grow here. And I’m hoping to se a miterwort this year too. Great shots of all!

    Like

    Comment by New Hampshire Garden Solutions — May 7, 2015 @ 3:31 am

    • Thanks. It’s amusing to think that “violets” are not all “violet”.
      This miterwort is usually overlooked, I think. It is tiny and at a glance can be easily passed off as a tall blade of dry grass.

      Like

      Comment by montucky — May 7, 2015 @ 8:32 pm

  7. Lovely shots.
    So lucky having Spring right on your doorstep (just as we are approaching winter ‘down under’).

    Like

    Comment by Vicki — May 7, 2015 @ 5:28 am

    • It is interesting to think about the difference in our seasons. I do look ahead to winter already now though because it’s time to get the fire wood supply ready for the next winter.

      Like

      Comment by montucky — May 7, 2015 @ 8:34 pm

  8. Beautiful pictures! 🙂

    Like

    Comment by bentehaarstad — May 7, 2015 @ 5:48 am

  9. I love that you managed to show the miterwort facing forward, and sideways. It’s such a fabulous flower. And I should mention to you what I’ve told some other photographers. I have a new, bigger monitor with much better resolution, so I really can appreciate your photos in a new way. Really, it’s quite amazing how much difference it makes. I may go browse the archives one of these rainy afternoons, just to see what I’ve missed.

    Like

    Comment by shoreacres — May 7, 2015 @ 6:28 am

    • The monitor really does make a big difference for viewing photos. I love to review them in “full screen” mode. (Well, the better ones anyway!)

      Like

      Comment by montucky — May 7, 2015 @ 8:37 pm

  10. all so lovely ~

    Like

    Comment by Tammie — May 7, 2015 @ 2:10 pm

    • They are! Today I went into some of the higher country and the lack of flowers was very obvious! What would we do without them!

      Like

      Comment by montucky — May 7, 2015 @ 8:38 pm

  11. Beautiful. I want to look at that yellow violet all day – pure sunshine!

    Like

    Comment by Jo Woolf — May 8, 2015 @ 1:35 am

    • Yes, they are very pleasant to see, and I love where they usually live, although I’ve found them in some of the most unlikely places.

      Liked by 1 person

      Comment by montucky — May 8, 2015 @ 8:10 am

  12. Sounds lovely. I always love to see the mitrewort. Do you think we have it in AZ?

    Like

    Comment by Candace — May 12, 2015 @ 8:59 pm

    • As far as I can tell, this species if miterwort is not found in Arizona and I don’t remember seeing it anywhere there. In fact, I couldn’t find any species of miterwort in Arizona.

      Like

      Comment by montucky — May 12, 2015 @ 9:35 pm

  13. Gorgeous as usually Your high quality photos. My favorite among them is Pioneer Violet..

    Like

    Comment by Sartenada — May 13, 2015 @ 1:00 am

    • Thanks Matti! Those little violets are indeed very bright and cheerful!

      Like

      Comment by montucky — May 13, 2015 @ 8:12 am

  14. Love all the wildflowers Terry and the landscape shots are awesome as well great job !!

    Like

    Comment by Bernie Kasper — June 3, 2015 @ 11:39 am


RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.