Its my favorite desert wildflower and its making a limited-time appearance on trails around the Columbia Basin. I spotted the first one the other day coming down the Sagebrush Trail on Badger Mountain.
Mariposa Lilly
Before I got to the bottom of the hill, I had seen several more. They are such a beautiful flower! Their blue/purple/lavender coloring and delicate texture make them a stunning specimen.
As I’ve written before, the Mariposa Lilly has a special place in my heart because of my mom (see previous post here). But it just took my breath away when I saw the first on the other day.
How many Mariposa Lillies can you spot on Badger Mountain and tell me about other hikes where you see this lovely flower!
Paul, thanks for your story on the lovely Mariposa. we hiked Red Mtn last Saturday (6-16) and were amazed to see two large fields of Mariposas — partway down from the ridge on the western end of the mountain. I look for it each year around this time. As there hasn’t been so many on Badger this year we were delighted to see the fields on Red.
Sharon,
Thank you for all your support and input on hiketricities.com. I feel we share a common purpose to encourage people to get outdoors and enjoy the Tri-Cities area! I imagine the Mariposas are pretty much dried up by now but I’ll look for that patch again next Mariposa season! Paul