Ball-head Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum capitatum var. thompsonii)

Chiwaukum Creek Trail, Wenatchee NF, WA, 5/2017.

This is sometimes called “Bull-head Waterleaf,” and a close relative of this is called “Woollen Breeches.”  This early spring flower features a dense ball shaped flower head (hence the name) whose anthers and stigma extend beyond the corolla.

Chiwaukum Creek Trail, Wenatchee NF, WA, 5/2017.

Update:  We’ve recently discovered the alpinum variation of this species in central Oregon’s Ochoco mountains.  The main difference is the plants are smaller, and the flowers never get much above the ground.  We also saw tons of caterpillars-as many as seven on a single plant- feeding on, and practically decimating, the waterleaf’s foilage as we hiked.  The caterpillar in question appears to be the larva of Gnophaela vermiculata, known as the “Police car moth”.

Lookout Mountain Trail, Ochoco NF, OR 6/2023.

Lookout Mountain Trail, Ochoco NF, OR 6/2023.

Lookout Mountain Trail, Ochoco NF, OR 6/2023.