Western Washington Wildflowers

This is the western version of the Tiger Lily, Lilium columbianum, very common but always very beautiful. This was photographed in eastern Washington in Blewett Pass while orchid hunting with friends from Germany.

The Grass Widow, Olsynium douglasii, is one of our earliest wildflowers. This photo was taken on Pass Island in the area of Deception Pass by my wife.

This not only looks like a candystick, that actually is its common name. It is one of our favorite wildflowers, a plant without chlorophyll and without leaves. The flowers are the tiny clusters of purple along the stem. This plant is just coming into bloom and will continue to grow, reaching a total height of about 18 inches. The old stem from last year is at the bottom of the picture. It was photographed on Whidbey Island near Deception Pass State Park.

Photographed along the Winchester Mountain trail, I believe this is the Rock Penstemon, Penstemon rupicola.

Also known as Potentilla fruticosa, this plant grows in the alpine or subalpine zones around the world and is also a common garden plant. This example from the wild was photographed near the treeline on Winchester Mountain.

This is the Shining Oregon Grape or Tall Oregon Grape, Mahonia aquifolium, another native plant that is also a common garden shrub, especially in exposed coastal areas. It is the state flower of Oregon, but is as common here as there and is blooming now, along with Mahonia nervosa, the Dwarf Oregon Grape. The flowers are followed by dark blue berries that are edible. This example was photographed in Washington Park.

One of our native plants now in flower and photographed in Washington Park. Its botanical names is Ribes sanguineum and it is also a common garden plant.

This is Early Saxifrage, Saxifraga integrifolia, photographed in Washington Park. The day was windy so I had a tough time getting any depth of field on the flowers. We were out today at several coastal parks and really had a good day photographing the scenery and the wildflowers.

This is an early spring wildflower known as Gold Stars, Crocidium multicaule. This example was photographed in Washington Park near Anacortes.