Wildflower Walks

Whiteleaf phacelia
Phacelia hastata
Description: Clusters of one-quarter-inch white to pale purple flowers with five lobes and five protruding stamens. Plant is 8 to 20 inches tall with lance-shaped leaves 1 1/4 to 2 1/2 inches long that have nearly parallel veins and dense hairs. Grows in dry, rocky ground and coniferous forests. Blooms May to July. [...]

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Fairybells
Disporum trachycarpum
Description: White to yellow-green bell-shaped flowers one-half inch long hang from the ends of branched, leafy stems 1 to 3 feet tall. Leaves are oval shaped to oblong 1 to 3 inches long. (“Peterson Field Guides’ Rocky Mountain Wildflowers,” by John J. Craighead, Frank C. Craighead and Ray J. Davis)
Recently seen: Pattee Canyon, Rattlesnake [...]

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A few wildflower-themed events are coming up later this month.
On Saturday, the Clark Fork Chapter of the Montana Native Plant Society will hold its first plant sale of the season at the Missoula Farmers Market. More than 50 species of plants native to the state will be on sale. The sale is from 8:30 a.m. [...]

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Today is the 30th anniversary of the eruption of Mount St. Helens, and the May issue of National Geographic magazine featured a spread about the recovery of the blast zone.
Part of the package was a nice illustration showing the rebirth of the ecosystem around St. Helens, including how wildflowers factor into it. For example, glacier [...]

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Jacob’s Ladder
Polemonium pulcherrimum
Description: Pale blue to lavender tube-shaped flowers with white or yellow at the center and five white stamens extending outward. Grows in clusters on stems up to 12 inches with paired leaflets. Blooms May to June in moist, grassy soils along streams and in open forests. (“Wildflowers of Montana,” by Donald Anthony Schiemann)
Recently [...]

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Looking for a trail in the Missoula area? Check out the recently updated Hike and Bike section of MontanaAdventurer.com. (You can also look for copies of the summer issue of Montana Adventurer around town.)
The guide features maps and trail descriptions for Missoula open space lands and lands on the outskirts of town managed by the [...]

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Glacier National Park turns 100 on May 11, and just in time for the celebration the Montana Native Plant Society has designated Logan Pass as the first Important Plant Area in the state.
A news release from the park notes that the pass area is home to springbeauty, glacier lilies, paintbrush and beargrass. The IPA includes [...]

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