July 2011

Long-Leaved Pholx
Bozeman, Montana
2011

There’s a more compact, low-lying type of phlox that comes out earlier in the year that I like better than the Long-Leaved Phlox, but as I mentioned in a previous post, I didn’t get around to photographing flowers early enough to catch some varieties.

Native Americans use to us Long-Leaved Phlox to build up blood in anemic children and to treat eye problems, stomach-ache, diarrhea, and venereal disease. That was probably before the white man introduced them to snake oil as a cure-all.

Speaking of previous posts, I now think that the flower photo I featured on July 17th under the title Subalpine Valerian is actually Meadow Death-Camas. While Valerian is a common dietary supplement even today, Meadow Death-Camas is as ominous as it’s name implies. Except for Hemlock, it is the most poisonous plant in the West. Given my shaky ability to correctly identify plants, I think I’ll stick to snake-oil to cure my ills.

Drummond’s Milkvetch
Bozeman, Montana
2011

I’m pretty sure this is Drummond’s Milkvetch instead of one of the various other milvetch’s that are out there. I’m also pretty sure I don’t want make a tea of it’s leaves or otherwise ingest it as it is stated by some to be “toxic to both livestock and wildlife.” (I assume humans fall somewhere along the livestock-wildlife continuum.)

Parry’s Townsendia
Bozeman, Montana
2011

Another flower ID that I’m a more than a little shaky about. But if it’s not Parry’s Townsendia, it sure does a good imitation of one.

Missouri Iris
Bozeman, Montana
2011

We’ve always had several patches of these wild irises in the wetter areas on our property (they like to keep their feet wet). This year however, due to the very wet winter and spring we’ve had, they’ve been popping up in a lot of areas where I’ve never seen them before, areas that are typically characterized by flowers that do well in drier soil.

Subalpine Valerian
Bozeman, Montana
2011

I have very little confidence that this is the correct name for this flower, it’s just the closest I could come to identifying it using our suite of flower books. In fact some of the other flower photos I’ve posted may be incorrect as well; but I’ve been sure enough in most cases to post them without disclaimer and wait to see if any of the more knowledgeable Rocky Mountain flower admirers among the readers of my blog call my bluff. So far that hasn’t happened, but that may be due more to benign neglect on the part of the fact checkers rather than any indication that I’ve been right on all of them up to this point.

Bitterroot
Bozeman, Montana
2006

This isn’t an early spring flower, in fact there are plenty of them out right now. But I’m posting this photo from some years ago because I like it better than the ones I’ve taken this year. Bitterroot is the Montana state flower. Having no particularly visible leaves and buds on short stems that seem to lay right on the ground, the plants look like almost nothing except when they are blooming. Then they are quite spectacular.

Pasque Flower
Bozeman, Montana
2006

Probably my favorite of the early spring wildflowers.

Shooting Star
Bozeman, Montana
2006

I didn’t notice until just now that this particular Shooting Star is more purple than the typical Shooting Star color (which tends to have more of a pinkish or lavender cast to it). I’d suspect a color issue with the digital photo itself, but the green foliage and the yellow Glacier Lily colors seem spot on, so I’ve got to think it’s the flower itself. Either way it’s a nice specimen, one that reminds me of the lyrics of a Bad Company song. I’m not a real big Bad Company fan or I’d post a link to their video. Still these few lines are certainly appropriate:

Don’t you know that you are a shooting star?
And all the world will love you just as long
As long as you are.

Glacier Lily
Bozeman, Montana
2007

I didn’t get going on my flower photo-taking binge right at the start of flower season this year so I missed some of my favorite flowers. So over the next three days I’m going to post photos from several years ago of a few of the flowers that appear right after the snow melts.

Yarrow
Bozeman, Montana
2011

With it’s tall, lanky, almost weedy build, yarrow isn’t the best looking flower around. But in the right light it can be pretty showy.