Stop and See the Flowers..from Naturalist

Don’t forget to stop and see the flowers

While hiking in the area surrounding the Snake River Sporting Club it is all too easy to become completely spellbound by the breathtaking landscapes. With massive skylines, beautiful aspen-cloaked hillsides and amazing sunsets you can easily forget to look towards the ground and take in the wonders of western wildflowers. So next time you are hiking on the property or in the area, take the opportunity to zoom in and observe theses smaller, yet equally striking, features of the landscape.

With blooming season running from May into September, wildflowers of this area generally only experience two months of frost free weather. Each season there is succession of blooming, and as each week or two passes you will see one flower species fade just as another reaches its prime bloom. The order in which these plants bloom is largely controlled by the typical onset of activity by the organisms that pollinate them.

Early blooming species include the vibrant yellow Arrowleaf Balsamroot and the pink-to-purple Wild Sticky Geranium. These are followed afterward by Lupines, Larkspurs and Paintbrushes. Currently the Scarlet Gilia, Lupine and Harebells are fading on the property just as the Fireweed and Yarrow are reaching their prime. Keep in mind that as wildflowers go these few mentioned above are just the proverbially “tip of the iceberg.”

If you’ve missed some of these earlier blooming species in the valley floor, take heart, all you need to do is climb up in elevation and out of the valley floor to go back in time by weeks or even months. The blooming at higher elevations is delayed by the later melt-off of snow, so by going up you can often catch flowers you would have otherwise missed.

In the end, whether you’re awe-struck by mountain views, or fixated on wildflowers, make sure that you get out and enjoy all that this area has to offer! Please also let me help you to learn more about whatever natural wonders interest you.
Happy Hiking,


Phil

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