Spring is earlier than normal here in northeast Washington State so many flowers ahead of their usual bloom time. While it is delightful to have so many beautiful blossoms, my May 2016 Bloom Day post is long and it took me a couple of days to organize, select and post, but all photos were taken on May 15th.
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| Purple Globe Allium |
I haven't planted many flowers since we moved permanently to the farm last fall, so most of what we have are natives and wildflowers. One of the few things I planted were some globe alliums.
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| Dutch Iris |
I also planted some Dutch Iris rhizomes that a friend gave me from her garden.
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| Columbine |
Although they aren't native, these columbine were planted by someone or something other than me. Since they are one of my favorite flowers, it was a lovely surprise to find them growing in one of the semi-shady, moist areas.
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| Camas Lily (Camassia sp) |
Although they are native to this area, I did scatter a few camas lily bulbs near our pond a few years ago so I have no idea if this one that came up was planted by me or mother nature.
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| Blue Flax (Linum Perenne) |
Rounding out the list of blue flowers blooming today, are a few blue flax in the meadow.
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| Blueberry Blossoms |
There are still a few blueberry blossoms.
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Crandall Currant (Ribes odoratum)
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And even fewer Crandall currant flowers with their lovely scent.
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| Thimbleberry (Rubus Parviflorus) |
We have several large thickets of thimbleberries which are just starting to bloom. Later they provide a feast of raspberry-like berries for the birds and bears.
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| Wild Rose |
I'm not sure of the species, but the first of our fragrant wild roses bloomed on May 15th.
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| Lonicera ciliosa |
As I search high and low for more blooming flowers, I find a native honeysuckle (Lonicera ciliosa) in the tree tops. I doesn't have any fragrance, but it is a favorite of the three species of hummingbirds that are seen in our area.
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| Morel mushroom (Morchella sp.) |
And down low on the ground, I found what remains of a withering morel mushroom. (It looks like scat, but it really is a morel past its prime!)
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| Viola glabella |
None of the
Viola adunca I saw last month are still blooming, but there are still a few of the yellow Viola glabella around.
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| Heart-leaf Arnica (Arnica cordifolia) |
Another yellow flower which is abundant right now is the heart-leaf arnica.
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| Star-flowered false Soloman's Seal (Smilacina stellata) |
Another shade-loving plant is the star-flowered false Soloman's Seal.
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| Hooker's Fairybells (Disporum hookeri) |
And growing nearby are several Hooker's fairybells.
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| Red-osier Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera) |
Sticking with the white flowers, there are some red-osier dogwoods blooming and down on the forest floor are many of its small relatives, the bunchberry.
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| Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) |
But saving the best for last (although the flowers are not quite completely open) are the lady's slippers.
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| Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium sp) |
Thank you to
May Garden Dreams for hosting this fun Garden Blog link-up. Please visit to see what is blooming in other gardens all over the world!
