Skip navigation

Tag Archives: wildflowers

Scenes from a walk

I confess. I like Instagram. Ok. It’s alright to like Instagram. And sometimes it is just easier to carry the phone rather than a camera or both.

Lots of small wildflowers blooming on our hill now. The Balsamroot and Lupine are past their peak at this elevation. Now, there are more blues to be seen, some pinks and yellows too.

Bitterroot, Lewisia rediviva. On our hillside, it is much whiter, less pink than in other places, such as Patterson Mountain

Cat’s ear lily, Calachortus lyalli

A yellow violet (an oxymoron of a name), Viola sp. I don’t know which one.

I’ve always referred to this as a Brodiaea but looking at my field guide, I think its name has been changed to Triteleia grandiflora

Evidence that our part time neighbors celebrated the holiday weekend riding up and down our road on quads while drinking and tossing their litter around.

More bitterroot

And tired dogs.

The Road Home

Luna and I had a great visit in Montana. We did well at our first agility trial and even though we did not get any qualifications, we showed improvement throughout the weekend and had a couple of ‘clean’ runs. We will try it again sometime. Luna loved playing with her new buddy, the puppy – Gus! All things come to an end so we said our goodbye’s and headed down the 400 miles of road to home.

 

 Gus and his people

 

 Luna, we need to get going.

 

Serviceberry and pines

 

Balsamroot, serviceberry and pines

 

Lilypads on a pond in Idaho

 

An ancient apple tree in bloom shows that someone once tried to make a life in this wild wet place in Idaho

 

 

Wildflowers on our Hillside

I managed to get in one wildflower walk last week after the big rain. Everything was sweet smelling and lush with new growth. Lots of birds and insects to amuse the ears and eyes and pollinate the flowers too. This is the time of year when change happens constantly as the hillsides become more green with new grass, the flowers add color and the light changes all day long. Spring is a time of renewal for all of the senses.

 

Balsamroot

 

Waterleaf

 

Lupine – waiting for sunshine and warmth before it shows us its lavendar petals

 

Shooting Star

 

More Balsamroot

 

Serviceberry bushes have covered the hillsides with their white flowers like frosting on a cake!

 

A honey bee on a waterleaf. Another portrait of this bee may be seen at my other blog.

 

Leaves of a Bitterroot grow and disappear before the delicate flowers appear.

 

Never too much Balsamroot

Late Winter

Still lots of snow on the ground and with cold nights it is firm enough to walk on. Some days it is slush. Luna and Sam and I have been out quite a bit recently and the dogs are finding lots of interesting smells. Most are from the deer and voles, I think. But you’d have to ask Luna and Sam to know for sure.

 

 Yarrow against the sparkling snow

 

A serviceberry leaf still clings to the stem.

 

I think this is a big buckwheat. Or maybe a lomatium. I’m pretty sure it’s a buckwheat. I’ll remember in a couple of months when it starts growing again.

 

I found this fresh looking pair of antlers under a pine tree. It seems early for sheds.

 

 

Tiffany Mountain

There are still wildflowers blooming on Tiffany Mountain! It’s over 8200′ elevation so the snow hasn’t been gone too long. The hike starts out in a burned forest and climbs steeply for a while and then it’s out in the open before approaching the last pull to the top. Lots of birds teased us flying back and forth in the snags. We were able to see Yellow-rumped Warblers, White-crowned Sparrows, Pine Siskens, Clarks Nutcrackers and several other species. On the slope to the top, there were scads of Horned Larks and we were able to see many migrating raptors including a Golden Eagle, Prairie Falcon, Coopers Hawks and others. Weather was perfect for the hike although a little bit hot, almost opressive, on the way down through the burned forest. We cooled our feet in Boulder Creek and felt much better. And driving down Mary noticed a cinnamon black bear! It was a beautiful animal and quickly lumbered up the hill and away from us.

trail through the burned forest

Fireweed

Mary in front of Tiffany

Lupine

old wood and nails at the top. I wonder if there used to be a lookout?

Who piled these nails?

an old survey marker

A young Horned Lark that doesn’t know it ought to be afraid of us.

yoga practice

Lots of ladybugs in the rocks on top

Whoooo is watching us?