Today’s wildflower finds

This afternoon it seemed to me that I ought to check the area of West Swamp Creek (about 20 miles to the southwest of my home). Sure enough, there were several species blooming there in profusion and I was glad that I paid attention to my hunch.

Small White Violet ~ Viola macloskeyi

Both the white and yellow violets are growing right in the water of a small spring fed stream, which makes photographing them a rather wet and messy endeavor, but that’s alright because it is now warm!

Pioneer Violet ~ Viola glabella

Alpine Springbeauty ~ Claytonia megarhiza

Glacier Lily ~ Erythronium grandiflorum

Shooting Star ~ Dodecatheon pulchellum

Small Bluebells ~ Mertensia longiflora

Slender Phlox ~ Microsteris gracilis

Three violets

Hookedspur Violet, Early Blue Violet ~ Viola adunca

Goosefoot Violet ~ Viola purpurea

Small White Violet ~ Viola macloskeyi

Today was the first time that I’ve found these three species in one day, and all were within a half mile besides. It was a surprise also because they are growing within the periphery of the huge forest fire that occurred here last year. (Now if I can figure out why three different colored flowers are all called “violets”.)

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.

Small and white

Small White Violet, Viola macloskeyi

Small White Violet, Viola macloskeyi

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