4/2013. Catherine Creek Trail, Gifford Pinchot National Forest, WA.
One book nicknames this “Bi-colored Cluster Lily,” and several others refer to it as “Howell’s Brodiaea.” We’re not savvy enough to know what distinguishes Brodiaea from Triteleia, so we went with the designation of Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest, the winner of the American Horticultural Society Book Award, figuring they know what’s up.
Catherine Creek Trail, Gifford Pinchot National Forest, WA. 4/2013.
The latin congesta refers to the ‘crowded’ head of tiny pink flowers. Read the rest of this page »
Catherine Creek Trail, Gifford Pinchot National Forest, WA. 4/2013.
Easy to miss, the early spring Bitter root appears to survive with little support. Growing from the cracks between rocks, the plant’s leaves wither away before it blooms, making the showy flower seem leafless. The state flower of Montana, this pretty, low-lying bloom, often found in sets of three, is the definition of ‘rosette.’ Named after Merriweather Lewis who, as the story goes, sent specimens from his voyage back East. The boxed specimens were finally opened to the discovery that they were miraculously in bloom 2 years later, inspiring the latin rediviva for ‘revive.’ Native Americans collected the spring bulbs, although the taste, as suggested by its name, is said to be quite bitter.
4/2013. Catherine Creek Trail, Gifford Pinchot National Forest, WA.
Some believe that mistaking the poisonous root of the Death Camas for the edible root of the Common Camas was what caused the death of Christopher McCandles aka Alex Supertramp, whose life and death was chronicled in the book and film Into the Wild.
Catherine Creek Trail, Gifford Pinchot National Forest, WA. 4/2013.
Named after the Russian-German naturalist and surgeon, Johann Friedrich von Eschsch0ltz. Spanish explorers on the California coast called this flower ‘Copa de Oro’ — cup of gold. The native range of the poppy encompasses the western states and Mexico, and it is the state flower of California, where one sees spectacular displays over entire hills and valleys in the spring. Native Americans used the leaves medicinally. It contains a different class of alkaloids than opium poppies, but its extract is said to have a mild opiate effect when smoked.
4/2013. Catherine Creek Trail, Gifford Pinchot National Forest, WA.
The edible root of this spring flowering plant has a rich history. Easily confused with the poisonous Death Camas once the flowers are gone, as the rest of the plants are nearly identical and the two often grow in the same areas. Native Americans are thought to have weeded the Death Camas from large fields during flowering so that they could later harvest the edible camas without worry. Read the rest of this page »
4/2013. Rowena Plateau, Tom McCall Preserve, Columbia Gorge, OR
“So named because it grows from a strong smelling taproot…Although generally shunned by domestic livestock, Balsamroot is grazed by deer, elk, and mountain sheep. Indians used to eat the stout starchy roots and tender young shoots.” -Scotter & Flygare: Wildflowers of the Canadian Rockies. Read the rest of this page »
Five mile camp, North Cascades N.P., WA, 8/2012.
Park Creek Pass, North Cascades N.P., WA, 8/2012.
Fisher Creek trail, North Cascades N.P., WA, 8/2012.
