My thanks to Ann Roberts and the others who braved the wind and sprinkles to go on our wildflower hike today on the Skyline Trail. We spotted several blooms on Badger and many others who are getting ready to burst with color! My camera limitations and the high winds make getting good shots a challenge but I got a few decent pictures. The most vivid, right now, is the Pursh’s Milk Vetch with its shapely purple blooms.
Pursh's Milk Vetch
The vetch hugs the ground and makes it particularly suitable for the harsh winds on Badger Mountain.
The earliest bloom seems to be the yellowbells (Frutillaria pudica) I saw some last weekend during the Badger Mountain Challenge and they are still blooming.
Fritillaria pudica
The yellowbell flowers tend to orange a little with age, the vibrant yellows and oranges are stunning.
If you look closely, you’ll see some Robinson’s Onion almost ready to burst with their pink blooms.
Allium robinsonii
There are plenty of long-leaf phlox scattered among the sagebrush on the mountain ranging from white to purple with pinks in between.
Phlox longifolia
Phlox longifolia
We also spotted some bigseed biscuitroot and prarie stars along with various sagebrush and rabbitbrush and other flowers just on the edge of color.
It was a pleasure to get to know the names of these flowers. I’ve admired them for years and look forward to sharing more pictures with you. Better yet, hike up Badger and get a glimpse of them yourself. Just make sure to leave the blooms for everyone to enjoy!