This is another pretty little wildflower that is probably overlooked by anyone who doesn’t crawl around with his nose in the dirt as I often do. The flower is all of 3/16 inch across and sits on a stem just 2 inches from the ground.
Tammie just identified this plant. Thank you Tammie!
Slender Phlox ~ Microsteris gracilis
Montana Outdoors 
That is a mystery flower so far. Beautiful though.
LikeLike
Comment by wordsfromanneli — April 8, 2016 @ 6:46 pm
I’ve looked at hundreds of wildflower images but can’t find a match. Couldn’t even find it on Burke Museum site.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Comment by montucky — April 8, 2016 @ 7:20 pm
Sorry I am not in a position to help you; but your post and photo absolutely great! Congrats and thanks.It is all GOD’S WONDERFUL CREATION. Time permitting, kindly read my post HAIKU ON GOD of today in ENVIUS THOUGHTS in https://nvsr.wordpress.com.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Comment by nvsubbaraman — April 8, 2016 @ 9:37 pm
Beautiful, but I daresay hard to spot.
(My months of back exercises give me hope of being able to get down low again one day. We miss so many wonderful little flowers from our lofty heights.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Comment by Vicki — April 9, 2016 @ 1:36 am
I’ve started to notice that it has become more difficult to get up and down too, especially where the terrain is quite rough. But it’s worth it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Comment by montucky — April 9, 2016 @ 8:32 am
A mysterious beauty. The combination of purple and dark green is perfect!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Comment by Finn Holding — April 9, 2016 @ 3:11 am
Most of the small wildflowers amaze me, with their shapes and colors and leaf patterns.
LikeLike
Comment by montucky — April 9, 2016 @ 8:34 am
So nice to see the little ones surviving Mother Nature, what a cute beauty!
LikeLike
Comment by bayphotosbydonna — April 9, 2016 @ 8:29 am
One would think that anything so small would be very fragile, but they seem to be much more robust than they appear. Built into them is a strategy that I don’t always understand.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Comment by montucky — April 9, 2016 @ 8:35 am
I tried it in my phone’s Garden app. But since it can’t figure out 4 petals vs 5 (a basic id issue) – it didn’t help here either. It came up with alpine primrose, which sounded right, but that’s not it. – sorry – Lynn
LikeLiked by 1 person
Comment by Lynn Millar — April 9, 2016 @ 11:47 am
Until the invention of better photo equipment I’m sure such small flowers largely went unnoticed and many of the “hows” and “whys” of their lives are still scarcely known.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Comment by montucky — April 9, 2016 @ 4:13 pm
Beautifully captured, especially considering how tiny it is! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Comment by Jane — April 10, 2016 @ 6:18 am
The tiny ones can be difficult to capture, but worth the effort. I just hate to see them live their lives unnoticed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Comment by montucky — April 10, 2016 @ 10:30 pm
Oh, sweet little thing just asking to be noticed. And it’s purple, one of my favorite flower colors. Hope someone can help you name it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Comment by Mama's Empty Nest — April 11, 2016 @ 7:30 am
So far nobody else knows what it is either. I walked down by the river today and there were lots of them in bloom (now that I look closely enough to see them).
LikeLike
Comment by montucky — April 11, 2016 @ 7:13 pm
is it pink microsteris?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Comment by Tammie — April 11, 2016 @ 9:16 pm
Thank you Tammie! I just checked on the Burke Museum website and they show it as “Slender Phlox ~ Microsteris gracilis”. Now I will revise the post.
LikeLike
Comment by montucky — April 11, 2016 @ 10:14 pm
So glad you figured it out. I had never been to that site before.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Comment by Tammie — April 12, 2016 @ 8:47 am
That’s the best web site I have found for plants in our region.
LikeLike
Comment by montucky — April 12, 2016 @ 9:06 am
Mystery, but beautiful mystery flower.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Comment by Sartenada — April 13, 2016 @ 12:06 am
Yes, it’s a beauty. One of the commenters did identify it for me and that pleased me very much.
LikeLike
Comment by montucky — April 13, 2016 @ 2:28 pm
Your daily posts are wonderful; identification also nice.
ROSE by any other name smells so sweet!
Similarly all your flowers in any name are enchanting-it is ALL HIS CREATIONS! Thanks and congrats.Go further and farther!
N V Subbaraman
LikeLiked by 1 person
Comment by nvsubbaraman — April 13, 2016 @ 5:31 pm
Thanks, N V Subbaraman!
LikeLike
Comment by montucky — April 13, 2016 @ 5:34 pm
I’m glad you immortalized the pretty little thing.
LikeLike
Comment by Candace — April 18, 2016 @ 6:04 pm
In the area where this one was blooming there were hundreds more today. They are just so tiny though!
LikeLike
Comment by montucky — April 18, 2016 @ 8:05 pm