Wildflowers blooming in between snows

A few more species of wildflowers have begun to bloom here now despite unseasonably cool weather and a series of weather fronts that have been passing through. There were a few brief periods of sun today before the next weather front is due to arrive tomorrow, bringing up to 8 inches of snow to the higher country especially along the Continental Divide, and I was able to get a few pictures.

Yellow Bell ~ Fritillaria pudica

The species name pudica means “bashful” because it always faces downward. I suspect that its position shelters the pollen from early rains and snows or perhaps because it has a relationship with a special pollonator that finds that convenient.

Shooting Star ~ Dodecatheon pulchellum

I find it interesting that its genus name is from the Greek dodeka (twelve) and theos (God) and is considered to mean “the plant protected by twelve gods”.

Western White Trillium, Pacific Trillium ~ Trillium Ovatum

These have just begun to bud at the Munson Creek trail head.

Dandelion

Despite their being usually considered as a weed, I still find the blossoms very pretty.

Spring Wildflowers

Eddy Peak in the Cherry Peak Roadless Area photographed from the Munson Creek trail head.

One of my favorite days of Spring usually comes on April 18th and for years on that day I have hiked two miles up the Munson Creek trail to an area where there is a large area of Trilliums in bloom. This year it has been cool and rainy with few sunny days and I suspected that the trilliums would be late so today I checked at the footbridge near the trail head where they bloom earlier and found they are just beginning. My hike will be put off another week or so because my favorite area is two thousand feet higher in elevation.

Pacific Trillium, (trillium ovatum)

Several other wildflowers have begun to appear now too:

Yellow Bell, (fritillaria pudica)

Dark-throated Shooting Star, (dodecatheon pulchellum)

Small-flowered Woodland Star, (lithophragma parviflorum)

Bells and stars

In between rain showers and snow flurries both of these species bloomed today

A two photo day

Yellow Bell ~ Fritillaria pudica

Early little ones

Woodland Star ~ Lithophragma parviflorum

Such a tiny (about .25 inches across) blossom and so fragile that it floats on even the tiniest breeze, it is still one of the earliest and hardiest of the wildflowers. Things cannot always be understood at the first glance.

Yellow Bell ~ Fritillaria pudica

A Whitetail doe was grazing on the hillside just below this small blossom in the evening of the second day of its bloom: in the morning the flower was gone. Life can take a sudden turn in this world in which we live.

Gone for a bit

Please note:
I’ll be traveling for a week or so and since I don’t own a laptop I’ll be off the air for that long. I wish everyone a great week and I’ll look forward to resuming and catching up with everyone when I return.

Yellow Bell, Fritillaria pudica