Recent wildflower blooms

Despite the foibles of spring weather, our wildflowers are bound to begin their spring and summer cycle. Here are some of the newest:

Shooting Star ~ Dodecatheon pulchellum

Arrow-leaved Balsamroot ~ Balsamorhiza sagittata

Pear blossom

Nineleaf Biscuitroot ~ Lomatium triternatum

Serviceberry, Saskatoon ~ Amelanchier ainifolia

Kinnikinnik ~ Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Oregon Grape ~ Mahonia aquifolium ~ Berberis aqufolium

It’s getting along toward that time of the season

Last Saturday there some shrubs along the trail with pairs of red berries; Utah Honeysuckle. Then today as I was enjoying some Serviceberries (my favorite wild fruit) I noticed the seed head of a Goat’s Beard, and I realized that it is already getting into the mature time of the season.

Utah Honeysuckle, Lonicera utahensis

Yellow Salsify, Goat’s Beard, Tragopogon dubius

Saskatoon, Serviceberry, Amelanchier alnifolia

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

Three whites and a purple

With the exception of the Larkspur, the last flowers I observed blooming in April were white.

Saskatoon, Serviceberry, Amelanchier alnifolia

Saskatoon, Serviceberry, Amelanchier alnifolia

Upland Larkspur, Delphinium nuttallianum

Upland Larkspur, Delphinium nuttallianum

Meadow Death-camas, Zigadenus venenosus

Meadow Death-camas, Zigadenus venenosus

Wild Strawberry, Fragaria virginiana

Wild Strawberry, Fragaria virginiana

Wild Strawberry, Fragaria virginiana

Wildflowers of spring (5)

Pink Trillium ~ Trillium ovatum 5/10

Saskatoon, Serviceberry ~ Amelanchier alnifolia 5/17

Ground-ivy, Creeping Charlie, Gill Over the Ground, Field Balm ~ Glechoma hederacea (Mint) 5/17

Upland Larkspur, Nuttall’s Larkspur ~ Delphinium nuttallianum 5/18

Indian Paintbrush, Common Red Paintbrush ~ Castilleja miniata 5/18

This bud is actually pretty early for here. The species will bloom on into late summer, especially higher up the slopes.

Miner’s Lettuce ~ Claytonia perfoliata 5/19