Wildflowers of spring (11)

White Campion, Bladder Campion ~ Silene latifolia 6/2

Henbit Deadnettle, Common Dead-nettle, Giraffehead ~ Lamium amplexicaule 6/2

Tolmie’s star-tulip, Tolmie’s mariposa-lily, Cat’s-ears ~ Calochortus tolmiei 6/2

Thread-leaved Phacelia, Thread-leaf Scorpion-weed ~ Phacelia linearis 6/3

Largeflower triteleia ~ Triteleia grandiflora, Brodiaea douglasii 6/3

Utah honeysuckle, Rocky Mountain honeysuckle ~ Lonicera utahensis 6/5

Sticky Currant, Mountains Currant ~ Ribes viscosissimum 6/5

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That magic chicken soup

Yesterday evening, after I had been sick and in bed most of the day, my wife, who is a fantastic cook, took pity on me and made some delicious, magic chicken soup. I highly recommend it, because this afternoon, even though it was raining, I was able to hike the lower end of one of my favorite trails, the Spring Creek trail

On the Spring Creek trail.

Spring Creek. (Because of the rain I didn’t take my tripod today, so these photos of the stream are from a trip there in May.)

and see the Tolmie star-tulips which are in bloom now in that area.

That is some incredible soup!

…and the rain that makes them grow…

A brief spring rain sweeps north over the peaks across from Munson Creek

and waters the tolmie star-tulips that make their homes there.

Early Tolmies

Following a hunch yesterday, I paid a visit in the rain to the lower part of Munson Creek to see if the Tolmie Star-tulips were blooming yet. It’s still a little early, but there were already three blossoms showing: later there will be hundreds in that location.

From what I can tell, this little flower is supposed to be confined to Washington, Oregon and California only, but I guess nobody told Calochortus tolmiei because I’ve found them growing in four different locations in both the Cabinet Mountains and the Coeur d’Alene mountains here in western Montana and that’s something for which I’m very grateful: they‘re a beautiful little flower (about half an inch across) with lots of varieties.

Tolmie star-tulip, (Calochortus tolmiei)

Tolmie Star-tulip at USDA Plants