Wildflower Walks

Wild hyacinth
Brodiaea douglasii
Description: One-inch-long tubular blue flowers in clusters of five to 15 sit atop a slender stem 1 to 3 feet tall. Grasslike leaves grow from the base. Blooms late April to early July. Found in dry to moist soil in rocky areas, meadows and open woods. (“Peterson Field Guides – Rocky Mountain Wildflowers,” [...]

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The Montana Chapter of the Sierra Club is planning its annual spring wildflower hike to Packer Meadows at Lolo Pass on Sunday.
The eight-mile hike on the Lewis and Clark/Nez Perce Trail will be led by horticulturist Adrienne Hopkins. Bring water and a snack. For more information, contact Hopkins at 543-3755 or e-mail John Wolverton at [...]

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Anybody else notice the fenceline rising from Interstate 90 into Missoula’s North Hills – bright yellow-green to the west and drab brown-green to the east?
That line perfectly illustrates the battle against leafy spurge.
Here’s an excerpt from Missoulian reporter Keila Szpaller’s Sunday story:
The Parks and Recreation Department’s weed control program started a decade ago, but it [...]

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After several cloudy, rainy and even snowy days last week, the camas is just starting to bloom in Packer Meadows at Lolo Pass.
The Lolo Pass Visitor Center information line – (208) 942-1234 – says it will still be a couple of days before the blue flowers begin to truly fill the fields.
To see the big [...]

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Bitterroot
Lewisia redivia
Description: White to pink flower 1 to 2 inches wide with 12 to 18 elliptical petals, six to eight petal-like sepals and many stamens. Stands on a stem up to 3 inches tall. Fleshy, green leaves wither before flower blooms. Grows in rocky dry soil of valleys, foothills and mountains. Blooms late April to [...]

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I ran my first Pengelly Double Dip half-marathon on Mount Sentinel and University Mountain on Saturday, and while the word “brutal” could be heard around the start/finish area, many people also took note of the beautiful wildflower display near the top.
The arrowleaf balsamroot, death camas, penstemon, larkspur and bluebells are putting on a good show. [...]

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Missoulian reporter Rob Chaney and photographer Michael Gallacher recently took a trip over to the Rocky Mountain Front on assignment, and their story from Volcano Reef in Thursday’s Outdoors section made me want to explore the area, too.
Here’s an excerpt:
“It’s just rough old country,” says Bill Cunningham, an outfitter and writer who abandoned Montana’s big [...]

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Wilcox’s penstemon
Penstemon wilcoxii
Description: Blue to purple funnel-shaped flowers with five fused petals forming three lower lobes and two upper lobes. Stems are 16 to 40 inches tall with opposite lance-shaped leaves, some toothed. Leaves are smooth to finely haired. Flowers are on divided branches that grow from a central axis. Found in dry, open or [...]

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More wildflower-related events are scheduled this month.
On Wednesday, the Clark Fork Chapter of the Montana Native Plant Society will take a field trip to Nine Mile Prairie in the Blackfoot Valley to see sugarbowl, as well as delphinium, gaillardia, lupine, sandworts, buckwheats and other showy plants. It’s expected to be a short, close-to-the-road trip, led [...]

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There probably will be some wildflower viewing as part of the Montana Wilderness Association’s Wilderness Walks hiking series this summer, though the group doesn’t specifically say so.
The association is getting its 48th summer of walks going with a barbecue from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Trail Head, 221 E. Front St. in downtown [...]

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