Wildflowers in the Foothills

Chocolate Lily (Fritillaria affinis), Teanaway Community Forest, Washington

Today was our first 90 degree day, so I can confidently say that summer has arrived here in Central Washington. As Washington slowly begins to relax stay-at-home restrictions, the last few weekends have brought our first few forays into the mountains since early this year. We’ve deliberately avoided  highly visited areas, which in Washington is basically synonymous with “trails with views”. The highlight of these excursions instead has been the wildflowers, which are currently in full bloom at elevations between about 2000 and 4000 feet. With higher elevations still buried in snow, the off-the-beaten path trails in the Cascade foothills are the sweet spot right now:

Pacific trillium (Trillium ovatum), Teanaway Community Forest, Washington

Lupine, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington

Glacier Lily (Erythronium grandiflorum), Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington

Oregon Anemone (Anemone oregana), Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington

Fairy slipper (Calypso bulbosa), Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington

Gummy gooseberry (Ribes lobbii), Teanaway Community Forest, Washington

Morel mushroom, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington

Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla),which, oddly enough, lives in the ground