This afternoon Rodeo and I headed to Arlington for a sheepherding lesson, and afterward I decided to swing by Deception Pass and check out the early spring wildflowers. The trip was prompted by Mark Turner’s recent blog post, the highlight of which was finding the season’s first camas flower.
I followed his route, beginning at the parking area on Pass Island and following the trail system in the scrubby bluffs that overlook the Pass.
The first thing I noted was a red flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) in full bloom at the edge of the bridge. Then I spotted the pink-purple flowers of Grass-widows or Satin-flower (Olsynium douglasii, iridaceae) and Spring-gold (Lomatium utriculatum, apiaceae).
Also in flower:
Scotch broom (Cytisis scoparius, fabaceae)
Coastal strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis, rosaceae)
Trailing blackberry (Rubus ursinus, rosaceae)
Small-flowered woodland star (Lithophragma parviflorum, saxifragaceae)
And finally, I also spotted a lone, blooming Camas flower (Camassia quammash, liliaceae)
