Fragrant Forest

The perfume of flowering trees was almost overpowering at the start of the trail!  If it hadn't been cool and breezy, it would have been suffocating.  Lots of chokecherry are now in full bloom, as well as some shrubs that are "escapees" from homes along the edge of the woods, like lilac.

Chokecherry

??don't know yet??

Of course I headed right up the Cliff Trail to find the coralroots we saw last week.  They are opened up and lovely.  The pale yellow stems are bigger and yellower, but not quite opened.  It will be fun to see what they become.

Spotted Coralroot

Yellow Coralroot?

Further up the trail there are lots of orange paintbrush dotting the forest floor and up a hillside.  I checked on the "Fairyslipper spot" and some brave little flowers are still hanging in there.  As the trail goes up through the rock steps, where there are lots of ferns and mosses, the Mountain Bedstraw has tiny little white flowers at the end of its starry-leaved vine.

Indian Paintbrush

I love the color-shading in this one; almost a burgundy color deep in there.

Left-over drops from a rain shower

Ladyslippers are starting to fade.

Mountain Bedstraw

Around the top at Lone Pine park,there is still lots of Larkspur and Balsamroot.   I found Fuzzy-tongue Penstemon, Alberta Penstemon,  Blue Flax, and some variety of Groundsel.  The Lupine are just starting to open up, as are Stonecrop and Alumroot.

Larkspur and Balsamroot

Balsamroot center just starting to open

more developed center

Fuzzy-tongue Penstemon

Alberta Penstemon

Blue Flax

 

some variety of Groundsel

same Groundsel plant, just not as far along

Lupine, just starting to open at the top of Lone Pine

Alumroot

Stonecrop; flowers are not quite open, but I love the coloring in this right now.

When I came up with Debora, she really liked the orange lichen that is fairly familiar growing on rocks around our area.  I was surprised at the cool detail in it when she took a super close-up of it, so I had to take some of my own. 

more blue Penstemon with lichen in the back

Down I went on the Valley View trail with lovely Arnica smiling at me all through the woods.  Here and there are still some False Solomon's Seal and Oregon Grape, and lots of Lupine buds.  I was headed for the other Coralroot patch though, and the time was getting on.  Quite a patch actually, and fully bloomed out.

more Spotted Coralroot, Corallorhiza maculata

one book said the white petals is a form of albinoism

Be sure to check my other flower blog for further adventures away from Lone Pine.  It's called Wildflower Wanderings and the link is above on the right-hand side bar.