Wednesday's Wildflower Walk

It is supposed to reach 80F today - perfect weather to take a Wildflower Walk.

Common Camas (Camassia quamash) was an important food for Willamette Valley Native Americans.  They harvested the bulbs in the fall, ground them into flour and made flat cakes with them.

Not too far from my house there is a small field that is covered with buttercups and camas.

Each year at this time I call the neighbor who lives there and ask if it is okay if I stop by and tromp around taking pictures.  When I called her yesterday she responded by saying that she'd been wondering if she'd hear from me this year!

She does not have a lawn - she has wildflowers growing beneath an Oak canopy.

Right now the Henderson's Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon hendersonii) are in bloom.

Most wildflowers have multiple common names which is why the Latin name is so useful as it is unchanging.

My maternal grandfather called these beauties Rooster Bills.

The leaves of this wildflower are flat, wide and low to the ground.

We have a very small patch of them, but it has become too shaded and most of the plants no longer bloom.

Also in bloom right now are drifts of Oregon Fawm Lilies (Erythronium oregonum).

Another wildflower with lots of common names - in my family this plant goes by the name Lamb's Tongue because of the tongue shaped mottled leaves.

I waited a bit too long as the blooms are a bit past their prime.

So many wildflowers are ephemeral - they bloom, quickly fade, and are gone for another year. 

I found a couple of plants in our backyard and we have some down by the Big Creek.

I admire my neighbor's commitment to her wildflowers.  She does not mow until late August which allows all the wildflowers to go to seed and multiply.