As we were climbing the hill, oohing and ahhhing at the Blue Camas and Prairiesmoke in abundance, we saw some of our flower-nerd friends, Marie and Barb! Fancy meeting you here! We chatted and compared notes (they were keeping a flower list too), and then they told us of their mission: they were looking for Pygmy Bitterroot based on a tip by a friend. Well, Lynn and I thought, uh-oh, there's no way it grows here! We've seen it at Siyeh Pass and on Scenic Trail, both in Glacier Park, and both places were high and rocky, alpine environment. So we sent them on their way, shaking our heads, and continued photographing the lovely meadow we were in. Suddenly we hear a whistle, Barb's emergency whistle! There she is up on the ridge, flagging us down, "We found it!" As we hiked up where there were, I said, "I hope they didn't just find Douglasia." Lynn says, "are you going to tell them?" Boy, were we going to have to use some tact.
We were WRONG!!! There were little pygmy bitterroot plants all over the place!! We were amazed!
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| I included my finger for scale. |
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| This one was right on the trail! |
It is another rarely found flower because of it's size and subtle coloring. The other times we found it, it was on rocky ledges, not a moist meadow! Orobanche is a plant that lacks chlorophyll and must obtain nourishment from parastizing the roots of other plants.
We are definitely amateurs and still have a lot to learn!
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