And don’t forget the Fairyslippers…

More wildflowers are showing up just about every day now. It’s just a matter of getting out where they are!

Lemonweed ~ Lithospermum ruderale

Wild Strawberry ~ Fragaria virginiana

Heart-leaved Arnica ~ Arnica cordifolia

Early Blue Violet ~ Viola adunca

Fairyslipper, Calypso Orchid ~ Calypso bulbosa

May wildflowers

After the late arrival of warm weather, the wildflowers in this part of Western Montana have been hurrying to catch up with spring. Here are more that have started blooming in May:

Miner’s Lettuce, Claytonia perfoliata

Unknown

Western Blue Clematis, Clematis occidentalis

Heart-leaf Arnica , Arnica cordifolia

Fairy Slipper, Calypso Orchid , Calypso bulbosa

Falsebox, Mountain Boxwood, Oregon Boxwood, Paxistma myrsinites

Blue-eyed Mary, Collinsia parviflora

Yellow Wood Violet, Viola glabella

Arrow-leaved Balsamroot, Balsamorhiza sagittata

Arrow-leaved Balsamroot, Balsamorhiza sagittata

Serviceberry, Saskatoon, Amelanchier alnifolia

Antelope Bitterbrush, Antelope-brush, Purshia tridentata

Antelope Bitterbrush, Antelope-brush, Purshia tridentata

Sticky Purple Geranium, Sticky Geranium, Geranium viscosissimum

Woolly Groundsel, Packera cana

Ground Ivy, Glechoma hederacea

Largeflower Triteleia, Triteleia grandiflora

Meadow Death Camas, Common Death Camas, Zigadenus venenosus

Small-flowered Woodland-star, Small-flowered Prairie-star, Lithophragma parviflorum

Holly-leaf Oregon-grape, Shining Oregongrape, Tall Oregongrape, Berberis aquifolium

Unknown shrub

Common Hawkweed, Hieracium lachenalii

Two-lobe Larkspur, Upland Larkspur, Delphinium nuttallianum

Calypso

After a nearly unsuccessful attempt to photograph Calypso Orchids in a place where I’m sure to find them every year (mostly what I got was wet; very wet) I ran across some in bloom about three miles up the Munson Creek trail and was able to get a few representative shots of them. They are usually difficult photography subjects because they are small, they grow close to the ground under the brushy cover of other plants and they are very fragile and cannot be handled or touched without damaging or killing them. These are of the same species as the white one of which I posted photos a few days ago but they are the pink color that is most usual for them.

Fairyslipper, Calypso Orchid, Calypso bulbosa

White Calypso

Over the last few days I’ve encountered about a dozen new wildflowers that have started to bloom and I will post photos of them in the coming days, but just before dark this evening on walk in the rain on the Spring Creek trail I found a pleasant surprise and it kind of moved to the front of the line; this white Fairyslipper. I greatly look forward to seeing these shy little orchids bloom each May but I have never before come across a white one.

Fairyslipper, Calypso Orchid, Calypso bulbosa

Fairybells and Fairyslippers

Here we still have lots of snow up high, but at the lower elevations many more wildflower species are starting to bloom.

Hooker’s Fairybells, Disporum hookeri

Fairyslipper, Calypso bulbosa

So many favorites!

Calypso Orchid – Fairyslipper

Calypso bulbosa
Orchid family