Thompson’s Paintbrush (Castilleja thompsonii) is a perennial which can be found in the dry lower-elevation grasslands in mid-spring. From a woody base branched stems rise to about 40 cm. Linear leaves are green on the stem. The upper leaves are in pairs and are lobed. The inflorescence has the paintbrush shape with yellow (pale) bracts. The flowers are … Continue reading →
We hiked up Buse Hill in May to enjoy spring wildflowers and the expansive views from the tops of the cliffs. Along the way we stopped to enjoy nature’s wonders, taking a few photos and including some here. Shared here are a few – arrow-leaved balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittatus), hillside arnica (Arnica fulgens), old man’s whiskers (Geum triflorum), sticky geranium (Geranium viscosissimum), … Continue reading →
I have been traveling to the Ashcroft area annually in May for a few years now, coinciding with the bitterroot (Lewisia redviva) bloom. In most years the bitterroot is at its height with thousands of flowering plants on dry and sunny slopes in the area. The day was drizzly and cool so the bitterroots were mostly closed and laying low. … Continue reading →
On a warm mid-May morning I hiked for 2 hours on a grasslands-benchland, sometimes known as the Lower Rose area. It was a combination of hiking-exercise and a nature-hike. There were no other people on the trails, but the area is also used by dog-walkers, hikers, and mountain bikers at busier times. there were a few birds in the … Continue reading →
Small-flowered Penstemon (Penstemon procerus) is a perennial in the figwort family. It grows from a woody base and often forms clumps. The green leaves are oval to lanceolate, growing oppositely and a few leaves grow around the bae on short stems. Small purple-blue flowers grow in whorls around the stem. After flowering, capsules form with many seeds. They … Continue reading →
At the start of May I traveled south to Merritt, then up to the Lundbom Lake area. The hike was up Sugarloaf Mountain (open grasslands with south-facing slopes), then back into the hills to hike grasslands hills and mixed forest gullies in a 4 hour loop route. As I hiked I stopped to enjoy wildflowers, flowering shrubs, and … Continue reading →
We did a hiking tour, going down the Fraser Canyon to hike the Stein River and Alexandra Bridge, then continued south to Hope. We chose to hike the Thacker Mountain Trails above Hope, between the confluence of the Coquihalla River and the Fraser River and Lake Kawkawa. The trails were in the Coastal forest with a few open … Continue reading →
We traveled to Lytton, then took the reaction ferry across the Fraser River. We drove to the trailhead at the Stein River to hike upriver in Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park. The mouth of the river is a dry Interior Plateau zone, but as we hiked west, we went through a transition zone to a wetter and cooler area. … Continue reading →
In mid-April we hiked trails above the Salmon Arm of Shuswap Lake, first up the Sunnybrae Bluffs Trail, then on the Reinecker Creek Trails in Herald Provincial Park. Some of the trails were on south-facing slopes and some were in the forest. Along the way, we stopped to enjoy flowering plants, and we spotted some other plants to photograph, … Continue reading →
On a warm spring day we drove to Vernon and then to the Cosens Bay Trailhead in Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park. We hiked the Coming Around the Mountain Trail and other trails in an 11 km loop. There were many early spring flowering plants along the route and we took some photos along the way. Included here are … Continue reading →
