American Vetch

American Vetch ~ Vicia americana

This is a vine and can create some fairly large patches but it is also palatable to cattle and I suspect deer and elk use it as well. I see quite a bit of it locally, but none that has ever grown so thick and large that it seems to be a problem.

Well, maybe better late than never…

After one of my last hikes of last summer into the Patrick’s Knob Roadless area on the top part os USFS trail 205 and the east end of USFS trail 404 I put these photos into a pending file and forgot them. It might be interesting to note that these plants are presently resting under about eight feet of snow.

Along USFS trail 205

American Vetch ~ Vicia americana

Parship-flower Buckwheat ~ Eriogonum heracleoides

Douglas’ buckwheat ~ Eriogonum douglasii

Pearly Everlasting ~ Anaphalis margaritacea

Yellow Clover ~ Trifolium aureum

Pearly Everlasting ~ Anaphalis margaritacea

Fireweed ~ Chamaenerion angustifolium

Birch-leaved Spirea ~ Spirea betulifolia

Mountain Ash ~ Sorbus scopulina

The procession continues

Once the weather warmed up the wildflowers began to bloom with new species starting every day. It is hard to keep up with all of them.

Narrow-leaf Mountain-trumpet ~ Collomia linearis

Hound’s Tongue ~ Cynoglossum officinale

American Vetch ~ Vicia americana

Viper’s-bugloss ~ Echium vulgare

American twinflower ~ Linnaea borealis

Queen’s Cup ~ Clintonia uniflora

White Sweet-vetch ~ Hedysarum sulphurescens

American speedwell ~ Veronica americana

Yellow Clover ~ Trifolium aureum

Bird’s-foot Trefoil ~ Lotus corniculatus

Sulphur Penstemon ~ Penstemon attenuatus

Oxeye Daisy ~ Leucanthemum vulgare

Mid-May

American Vetch, Vicia americana, May 19

Annual Hawksbeard, Crepis tectorum, May 19

Midget Phlox, Phlox gracilis, Microsteris gracilis, May 20

Common Camas, Blue Camas, Camassia quamash, May 20

Wildflowers of spring (10)

Prairie Smoke ~ Geum triflorum 6/1

Great Polemonium, Royal Jacob’s-ladder, Salmon Polemonium ~ Polemonium carneum 6/1

Meadow Hawkweed ~ Hieracium caespitosum 6/2

American Vetch ~ Vicia americana 6/2

Prickly Rose ~ Rosa acicularis 6/2

American Vetch… and visitor

It is always worth while to spend time by the river because there’s almost always something beautiful there and today’s visit was no exception.

American Vetch, Vicia americana, Pea family