Wildflower Walks

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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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, [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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