Sometimes it’s nice to begin a hike with a pleasant scene.
USFS trail 223 starts along the river at an elevation of about 2,400 feet, climbs up and over a small hill then proceeds up the river for another 7 or 8 miles. In their seasons, wildflowers along it are diverse and plentiful. Those included in this post are the late-season ones.
Evening Primrose (Oenothera villosa): the first one I had seen this year.
These bluebells are everywhere this time of year and I can seldom pass up a chance to photograph them.
As the trail enters the lower and most dense part of the forest, the color is intense.
The shade-loving Three-leaf Foamflower ~ Tiarella trifoliata
The berries of the Devil’s Club (Oplopanax horridus) are just beginning to turn red.
I did mention that I love these bluebells, didn’t I?
Slender Hawkweed ~ Hieracium triste
The seed head of the Blue Clematis, (Clematis occidentalis)
I love the steeper parts of this trail: there is a small stream below.
Another flower which grows at just about all elevations, Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea).
These are the fruit of the Clasping Twisted-stalk (Streptopus amplexifolius) which is a plant that I have seen in only two locations. It is interesting because the flowers and fruit appear on the underside of the leaves.
With the temperature headed for one hundred today, early morning was the only time for a short hike and yesterday’s post on Jomegat’s Weblog reminded me that the Pipsissewa are starting to bloom, an event I would hate to miss. The wildflowers don’t mind the heat, especially along a wooded canyon trail. There were other flowers in bloom as well.
