Our annual photographic homage to one of our favorite spring flowers the Glacier Lilly.
We follow their progressive blooming form the edge of the foothills up high in the mountains seemingly ushering in spring in each progressive life zone.
Beautiful from afar…
as well as up close.
On a recent walk through sagebrush scrub and grassland we were treated to numerous hidden gems along the way. Lupines flowering amongst the grasses still mainly brown after a winters sleep.
Shooting stars in clusters were dispersed along the way. Never a thick carpet, just a sprinkling, every now and then.
Bluebells dangled in little clumps…
and Penstemon light the way.
Hidden gems indeed.
A dose of afternoon sunlight brings out the best of things, these leaves included.
Light, leaves and color create a feeling as well as a sight.
Hope your weekend includes a bit of both.
Happy Friday and have a wonderful weekend.
Just the grass greening up in a landscape filled with sage and juniper. Quiet, perhaps the sounds of Meadowlarks and Sparrows singing, an unassuming landscape in a quiet place.
Yet upon closer inspection we were provided with quite a treat. Chocolate Lily – Fritillaria atropurpurea were hidden in theses still greening grasses.
Some were on full display and added a a wonderful splash of color and gave us quite a surprise on what we thought would be a unassuming walk through an early spring landscape.
It’s nice to have no assumptions.
References:
1.http://fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=PMLIL0V020
Yellow Fritillary (Fritillaria pudica), just about 4 inches tall, but oh what a way to ring in the weekend.
Wishing you a fine day and wonderful weekend.
Identical no less with matching fur coats for those crisp spring mornings.
This week the fields near home are full of the Western Spring Beauties. A beautiful wildflower when viewed up close but it can appear unassuming from a distance.
Native to much of the western United States Western Spring Beauty is a short flower only growing 2-3 inches tall in our area and it begins to bloom right about the time the last patch snow has melted from the ground.
“As the name suggests, Western springbeauty blooms in the spring, barely waiting for the snow to melt. This perennial grows from a deeply buried, spherical, underground stem; when cooked, the stem tastes like a potato.” 1
A beautiful flower and one we always look forward to seeing each spring.
Reference:
1. Wildflower.org The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
The first wildflowers are just poking up in our area yet just as fast as they start to bloom they have found partners for that lovely dance called pollination. Above a Biscuit Root flower only a couple inches wide and tall and just fully in bloom finds dance partners both big and small.
Above a fly asks a Sagebrush Buttercup for a quick spin around the dance floor.
Yes, let the dance begin.
Todays post is brought to you courtesy of the forest floor. A place to discover wonders both large and small. Like the sculptural beauty of a leaf slowly working its way back to soil.
and a pine cone in all its’ glory.
So much to see in a 8 inch square.
yes, so much to see on the forest floor.
Just down the road, where the sun hits just right, is a small patch of earth warmed by the sun where the snow has melted and the Sagebrush Buttercups are already springing to life.
Growing low to the ground with their buttery shiny-waxy petals these wonderful little flowers are a challenge to photograph yet fun nonetheless. They are a bit poisonous to the touch so take care if handling them as they can cause blistering.
While a few were blooming most we still just on their way.
A wonderful sign that spring is indeed on it’s way despite the recent snows.
nature has no boss 
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