Today in the Swamp Creek canyon:

Pioneer Violet ~ Viola glabella

Large-leaf Sandwort ~ Moehringia macrophylla

Small White Violet ~ Viola macloskeyi

Siberian springbeauty ~ Claytonia sibirica

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.

Wildflowers of spring (8)

With a few warm days recently and plenty of rain the wildflower blooms are coming rapidly now, as though they are trying to catch up to the season. I’m still trying to post to document them but feel like I’m losing ground.

Yellow Corabells, Fuzzy Emera ~ Elera racemosa 5/29

Common Sheep Sorrel ~ Rumex acetosella 5/29

Common Dogmustard ~ Erucastrum gallicum 5/29

Suksdorf’s desert-parsley ~ Lomatium suksdorfii 5/29

Chokecherry ~ Prunus virginiana 5/29

Siberian Springbeauty ~ Claytonia sibirica 5/29

Just about forgot

Some time ago I posted a photo or two of Alpine Springbeauties, one of the very early wildflowers in this area. Not long after, I discovered another variety, the Siberian Springbeauty and forgot to post a photo of them. This was the first year in which I’ve seen them and thought they were really pretty.

Siberian springbeauty
Claytonia sibirica
Purslane family
Found at the east shore of Dog Lake on the Salish – Kootenai Indian Reservation in western Montana on May 4, 2009