Montana Outdoors

May 11, 2017

Mid May wildflowers

Filed under: Munson Creek, Wildflowers — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — montucky @ 7:07 pm

You know it will be a pleasant hike when it starts out like this:

Munson Creek

Munson Creek

Oregon Grape

Oregon Grape ~ Berberis aquifolium

Howell's pussytoes

Howell’s Pussytoes ~ Antennaria howellii

Dandelion

A Dandelion was competing with some undergrowth for light and its stem was nearly two feet long.

Lemonweed, Western Gromwell

Lemonweed, Western Gromwell ~ Lithospermum ruderale

Pink Pacific Trillium

This Pacific Trillium is about at the end of its blooming time and has turned pink.

Field Chickweed

Field Chickweed ~ Cerastium arvense

Heart-leaf Arnica

Heart-leaf Arnica ~ Arnica cordifolia

Heart-leaf Arnica

Arnica bud

40 Comments »

  1. MILD FLOWERS are great! Thanks.

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by nvsubbaraman — May 11, 2017 @ 7:24 pm

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  2. Beautiful

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by John Purdy — May 11, 2017 @ 7:51 pm

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  3. Beautiful post. What a great day you had!

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by wordsfromanneli — May 11, 2017 @ 9:04 pm

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  4. Wow – that opening shot really has one watering at the mouth!

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by de Wets Wild — May 11, 2017 @ 9:19 pm

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    • That’s a beautiful little stream throughout its entire length of only about six miles. Lots of cascades as it descends over four thousand feet, but also pretty thick brush all along it.

      Liked by 1 person

      Comment by montucky — May 11, 2017 @ 9:31 pm

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  5. So green. I love the dark lushness of the woods. Harder to come by here but still possible.

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by Candace — May 11, 2017 @ 10:25 pm

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    • Yes. I remember some very lush back country above the rim. Used to camp by Gentry Canyon and it was gorgeous there.

      Liked by 1 person

      Comment by montucky — May 11, 2017 @ 10:30 pm

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      • We’ll have to check that out, I haven’t heard of it.

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        Comment by Candace — May 11, 2017 @ 11:10 pm

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        • It is one of several that you can see off the Rim Road that runs along the northern edge of the Mogollon Rim north of Payson, not far from Chevelon Canyon too. I think of the area often and wonder how much it might have changed.

          Liked by 1 person

          Comment by montucky — May 12, 2017 @ 6:49 am

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  6. Lovely shots of some flowers we don’t see in Ohio!

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by centralohionature — May 12, 2017 @ 3:57 am

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    • The huge variety of wildflowers is just incredibly and so many are quite territorial.

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      Comment by montucky — May 12, 2017 @ 6:51 am

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  7. I photographed a dandelion much like yours last week. It had full sun and a field, though, so its stem wasn’t nearly so long. I always like buds, so the arnica bud is especially appealing. What I have to know is whether that log across the creek in the first photo is just timberfall, or perhaps a bridge? If I had to walk that thing — well, maybe I’m feeling my age. I could have done it once, particularly if there weren’t so many rocks and so much rushing water beneath it. Today? The urge toward self-preservation kicks in more often.

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by shoreacres — May 12, 2017 @ 6:43 am

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    • That is the Arnica that is often used in natural pain products. I’ve found some of them to be effective for mild arthritis pain in joints.
      The log is a foot bridge. It is a tree about a foot in diameter that was sawed in half lengthwise and both parts were placed side by side across the stream many years ago. It’s actually an excellent bridge if you have good balance. Toward one end there is a gap between the halves and one winter it was covered with ice and about a foot of snow and while crossing it one of my feet slid into the gap and my foot went through the gap up to my knee. Fortunately I instantly figured out what had happened and was able to stop and get my foot out before I twisted it sideways and broke my leg. There are many stream crossings like this on the back country trails and they are excellent, although slippery when wet or icy. The only alternative is to get very wet when crossing the stream.

      Liked by 1 person

      Comment by montucky — May 12, 2017 @ 7:03 am

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      • Ah. That would be doable, then. From this perspective, not seeing the two halves and the flat surface, it was more intimidating. I can imagine someone putting up a sign like those around subway platforms: “Mind the gap!”

        Liked by 1 person

        Comment by shoreacres — May 12, 2017 @ 7:09 am

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        • It can still be a little intimidating if you’re not used to that kind of thing, especially when wet (which they usually are). The logs are not exactly at the same level and have some flex in them so they bounce a bit as you walk on them.

          Liked by 1 person

          Comment by montucky — May 12, 2017 @ 7:16 am

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  8. Nature’s abundant color. Love it!

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by Mike — May 12, 2017 @ 7:31 am

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  9. Beautiful work!

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by doubledacres — May 12, 2017 @ 7:53 am

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  10. Hi Montucky, I like the Arnica photo the best but the pretty Dandelion is great as well. Pretty scenery. You live in a spectacular area. Thanks for sharing the pretty blossoms! Have a wonderful weekend!

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by wildlifewatcher — May 12, 2017 @ 12:26 pm

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  11. lovely flower portraits, one and all!

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by Tammie — May 12, 2017 @ 12:55 pm

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    • Thanks Tammie. They seem to start blooming in spurts this year.

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      Comment by montucky — May 12, 2017 @ 3:45 pm

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  12. It looks like the creek is running well!
    That’s quite a few wildflowers you have blooming. It must have warmed up a bit.
    Many of our wildflowers are in a holding pattern, waiting for it to warm up. We’ve had a low pressure system dragging cold air down from Canada for about 10 days now.

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by New Hampshire Garden Solutions — May 12, 2017 @ 3:39 pm

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    • We have had a few warm days now, causing the creeks to rise, but there is still a lot of very dense snow up high.
      It is cooler now and I’m seeing something similar to what you are. there is a spurt of blooming, then a holding pattern for awhile. Yesterday it was 79, today only 51.

      Liked by 1 person

      Comment by montucky — May 12, 2017 @ 3:48 pm

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  13. First, Munson Creek is indeed the place to start for a wonderful adventure, so gorgeous! All the flowers are beautiful, especially love the arnica and dandelion captures. I read your comment that this is the arnica flowering plant used to alleviate pain naturally, I first wondered if it was the ‘same’ as soon as I saw your caption. Appears Mother Nature is beginning Spring with a bang of colors!

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by bayphotosbydonna — May 12, 2017 @ 5:46 pm

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    • Yes, the flowers are getting a pretty good start now. Arnica is covering the ground in some areas as is Arrowleaf Balsamroot. Now I’m anxious to be able to get into the higher elevations to see those that live there. The way it seems to be going, June will be a big month for wild flowers

      Liked by 1 person

      Comment by montucky — May 12, 2017 @ 6:15 pm

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  14. What a lovely series. I’m rather partial to the Lemonweed (for its simplicity in flower shape). I like your shutter speed in the Munson Creek shot – still shows some movement which I prefer (rather than completely smooth like most Photographers shoot moving water), but then I seem to remember saying that before now on your blog.
    I’ve seen the Oregon Grape here in the Botanic Gardens, but the rest are strangers to me. I wonder if I’d see similar wildflowers up in our Victorian alpine regions? (wish I had a 4WD and could drive up to them. I’ve still got my top-of-the-range down sleeping bag I used camping in Europe in 1976 and it really needs airing 🙂 ).

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by Vicki — May 12, 2017 @ 6:23 pm

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    • Thank you Vicki. I shot the stream at a variety of shutter speeds and threw out all but this one which I thought shows the full dynamics of the rushing water. I appreciate water more than most anything else in the world.
      I don’t know if any of these flowers are native to Australia as well as here. I get good information on their distribution across North America from a US Department of Agriculture website but it stops there. That would be a very interesting study, but I’m afraid that the details would go far beyond my limited grasp of botany.
      It’s getting to be the time of year for me to think about airing out one of my sleeping bags again too. Maybe after more of the snow leaves the high country. I seldom go on backpack trips any more, but I do often spend a night at a high elevation trail head so I can start up the trail at first light.

      Like

      Comment by montucky — May 12, 2017 @ 7:04 pm

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  15. A very pleasant and pretty walk! Thanks for sharing ..

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by Julie@frogpondfarm — May 14, 2017 @ 2:43 am

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    • The forest is an especially beautiful place when the wildflowers are blooming, and the various species that bloom at different times keeps it like that all summer.

      Liked by 1 person

      Comment by montucky — May 14, 2017 @ 7:07 am

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  16. Yes, that is a wonderful way to start a hike…wow…..be still my heart…!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by seekraz — May 14, 2017 @ 11:37 am

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