July 1st, 2009
Wild licorice
Glycyrrhiza lepidota
Description: Greenish-white flowers 1/2-inch long form dense clusters on a shrub 1 to 3 feet tall. Leaves are made up of 11 to 19 lance-shaped leaflets up to 1 inch long. Blooms from June to early August. Grows in patches on cultivated land and in prairies, river bottoms and moist mountain draws. (“Peterson Field Guides Rocky Mountain Wildflowers,” by John J. Craighead, Frank C. Craighead Jr. and Ray J. Davis.)
Recently seen: Spring Creek in the Rattlesnake National Recreation Area.
The walk: To reach the main Rattlesnake trailhead, drive about four miles north of Interstate 90 on Van Buren Street and Rattlesnake Drive. Turn onto Sawmill Gulch Road and follow it about one-third mile northwest to the parking lot. From the trailhead, walk about two-thirds of a mile north on the wide path to a junction with the trail on the east side of Spring Creek. Turn northwest onto the trail and continue to the 1 1/3-mile mark, where there is a restroom and a bridge to the west side of the creek. Look for wild licorice along the uphill side of the narrow trail between the restroom and the next bridge, at about the 2 3/4-mile mark. Turn around here and retrace the route back to the trailhead, or cross the bridge and follow the trail along the west side of the creek back to the main path, then to the parking lot.
Justin Grigg
Posted in Hiking, Missoula, Montana, Rattlesnake | No Comments »
June 26th, 2009
Wildflower-related activities are planned this weekend by the Flathead Chapter of the Montana Native Plant Society and the Montana Chapter of the Sierra Club.
On Saturday, join botanist Anne Morley and the Montana Native Plant Society for a two-mile wildflower identification hike along the Old Swan River Road near Bigfork. The hike will be from 10 a.m. to noon. Meet in front of the Showthyme restaurant in Bigfork. Call Morley at (406) 886-2242 to RSVP. Pets are not allowed.
On Sunday, the Sierra Club will take a hike to Packer Meadows and Lolo Pass. The eight-mile hike on either the Lee Ridge or Lewis and Clark/Nez Perce trail will start at the Lee Creek campground. Horticulturist Adrienne Hopkins will identify wildflowers and plants along the way. Bring a lunch and plenty of water. Call Hopkins at 543-3755 or e-mail yodelingdog@hotmail.com for information. Liability release forms are required, and pets are not allowed.
Or, you can drive up to Lolo Pass on your own schedule. According to the Lolo Pass Visitor Center information line - (208) 942-1234 - the camas at Packer Meadows are blooming. Catch them before they wilt.
Justin Grigg
Posted in Bitterroot Mountains, Hiking, Mission Mountains, Montana | No Comments »
June 24th, 2009
Wood’s rose
Rosa woodsii
Description: Pink flowers 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches wide are made up of five stamens, five petals and numerous yellow stamens and pistils. Grows on a shrub 3 to 10 feet tall with toothed compound leaves. Blooms late May to July. Grows in moist soil of draws, hills and open valleys. (“Peterson Field Guides Rocky Mountain Wildflowers,” by John J. Craighead, Frank C. Craighead Jr. and Ray J. Davis.)
Recently seen: Pattee Canyon National Recreation Area, Rattlesnake National Recreation Area.
The walk: The Pattee Canyon cross-country ski trails make for a nice morning walk in the summer. The trailhead is located 4 1/4 miles southeast of Missoula, up Pattee Canyon Road from South Higgins Avenue. From the parking lot, follow the wide, level path to the south past the junction with the Sam Braxton National Recreation Trail. Where the trail splits, walk uphill to the left. For a 2 2/3-mile loop through the forest, continue in a counterclockwise motion, taking the trail to the left at each intersection. Look for wood’s rose along the entire route.
Justin Grigg
Posted in Hiking, Missoula, Montana, Pattee Canyon | No Comments »
June 20th, 2009
According to the Lolo Pass Visitor Center phone message, the camas in Packer Meadows is partially in bloom. No word on when it’s expected to peak, but you won’t want to miss it when it does - it turns the fields into a sea of blue flowers.
Call (208) 942-1234 for updates.
The visitor center is about 40 miles southwest of Missoula. Take U.S. Highway 93 south about eight miles to Lolo, then turn west on U.S. Highway 12 and drive about 32 miles to the pass on the Montana-Idaho border. Packer Meadows is about one mile east of the visitor center on Elk Meadows Road.
If you’re a runner, you might want to check out the Mountain to Meadow half-marathon and 5K on Saturday, June 27. The 14-mile race and 5K fun run begin at the visitor center and pass by Packer Meadows. Start time is 7:30 a.m. PDT (8:30 a.m. MDT).
Justin Grigg
Posted in Bitterroot Mountains, Hiking, Idaho | No Comments »
June 17th, 2009
Blanketflower
Gaillardia aristata
Description: Flower is 2 to 3 inches wide with orange to purplish-red diskflowers surrounded by yellow rayflowers. Stands on a stem 8 to 30 inches tall with lance-shaped leaves up to 6 inches long growing from lower part of stem. Blooms June to early August in medium-dry to moist soil in open areas and on foothills. (“Peterson Field Guides Rocky Mountain Wildflowers,” by John J. Craighead, Frank C. Craighead Jr. and Ray J. Davis.)
Recently seen: North Hills, Mount Jumbo and Blue Mountain National Recreation Area.
The walk: There’s a bit of blanketflower out in the North Hills right now, especially on the southernmost slope. The trailhead is at the north end of Orange Street, where it becomes the Interstate 90 on-ramp and off-ramp. Follow the trail to the northwest of the parking area for a short distance, then cross through a gate on the north side of the path. The trail switches back up to a junction with the Fireline Trail. Turn southeast, walking uphill to the next junction. Turn northwest, and after a short distance join the Ridgeline Trail. Look for blanketflower between the trailhead and the ridge. From the ridge, follow the trail northwest to the top of Randolph Hill at 1.7 miles. Turn around here or continue farther on the Ridgeline Trail. I’ve seen more blanketflower downhill to the northwest of Randolph Hill.
Justin Grigg
Posted in Blue Mountain, Hiking, Missoula, Montana, Mount Sentinel, North Hills | No Comments »
June 14th, 2009
Glacier National Park’s free lunchtime seminars continue Thursday, June 18, at noon in the Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center with “Confessions of a Wildlife Observer.”
Photographer Chris Peterson takes a lighthearted look at Glacier’s flora and fauna, which he has observed for the past 11 years. His show includes photographs of loons, mountain goats, pikas and river otters.
More information is here.
Posted in Glacier National Park, Montana | No Comments »
June 11th, 2009
Bitterroots are beginning to bloom in the North Hills, one of the best spots to see them in Missoula.
The Waterworks Hill trailhead, for the ridge just north of downtown, is on the west side of Greenough Drive, about a quarter-mile north of the Interstate 90 overpass. Follow the trail along the fenceline up the hill to the northwest. Look for the pointed pink petals of bitterroots on the gravelly ground just off the rock-lined path. Waterworks Hill’s caretakers ask that hikers stay on the trail.
Reader Steve Slocomb reports that he is seeing them in the foothills above Corvallis in the Bitterroot Valley. See his photos here.
Anyone else seeing them on trails outside of Missoula? I’d love to take a trip out of town to find them this year.
Justin Grigg
Posted in Bitterroot Valley, Hiking, Missoula, Montana, Waterworks Hill | No Comments »
June 10th, 2009
Canada violet
Viola canadensis
Description: Nearly 1-inch-wide flower has five white petals that are yellow at the base and purplish on the back; lower three petals have purple lines at the base, and outer petals are hairy at the base. Stands 4 to 16 inches tall with 1- to 3-inch heart-shaped leaves. Blooms May to June in moist woodlands. (“National Audubon Society Field Guide to Wildflowers – Western Region,” by Richard Spellenberg)
Recently seen: Woods Gulch in the Rattlesnake National Recreation Area.
The walk: To reach the Woods Gulch trailhead, drive about four miles north of Interstate 90 on Van Buren Street and Rattlesnake Drive. Just past the sign for the main Rattlesnake trailhead, turn right on Woods Gulch Road and follow it about half a mile to the trailhead. Follow the trail up the lush gulch on the south side of the creek. The trail crosses to the north side of the creek, switches back twice, then returns to the south side of the valley.
Look for Canada violet on the edge of the path from the trailhead up to the second creek crossing; beyond that, the trail leaves the creek bottom and rises into the forest. At 1 1/2 miles is a junction with trails that lead north to Blue Point and Sheep Mountain, and south to Mount Jumbo.
Justin Grigg
Posted in Hiking, Missoula, Montana, Rattlesnake | No Comments »
June 10th, 2009
The Bitterroot National Forest will hold a wildflower walk Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. on the Blodgett Overlook Trail.
This moderate-level hike is three miles round trip. Meet at the Blodgett Overlook trailhead, just west of Hamilton. Bring water and wear appropriate clothing for the weather.
For more information, call Bitterroot forest botanist Linda Pietarinen at 363-7172.
Justin Grigg
Posted in Bitterroot Mountains, Hiking, Montana | No Comments »
June 2nd, 2009
Stalks of blue camas have arrived in the Missoula area.
Reader Marvin Soroos and I have seen it in the Pattee Canyon National Recreation Area. Soroos recommends looking along Trail 302.5, about a quarter-mile uphill from where it crosses Crazy Canyon Road. I’ve seen the flowers blooming in a variety of spots along the southside ski trails.
And Missoulian sports editor says camas is blooming up on Evaro Hill.
The big show, of course, will be up at Packer Meadows, just off U.S. Highway 12 at Lolo Pass. Call the Lolo Pass Visitor Center at (208) 942-1234 for updates.
Justin Grigg
Posted in Evaro Hill, Hiking, Missoula, Montana, Pattee Canyon | 2 Comments »