Bill's Botanical Forays

The first this I did this morning was to drive over to Riblet’s Point to check things out. There is a mansion on the point which is home to Arbor Crest Wine Cellars. I looked for early spring blooming flowers on the slopes below the mansion. The plant community there is the so-called short bunchgrass community and the soil was sandy loam. Around Spokane, the Idaho Fescue (Festuca idahoensis Elmer) is one of the dominant plants in this community.

Typically, bunchgrasses are long-lived, drought-resistant, and tightly-packed. This community also features a number of forbs, many of which bloom throughout the spring. The short bunchgrass community is becoming rare mainly due to urbanization and farming. Remnants can be found in locations like the slopes below Riblets Point and in the Dishman Hills.

 

Only a handful of species were blooming because it is still early spring in Spokane. Arrowleaf Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata (Pursh) Nutt.), Woollypod Milkvetch (Astragalus purshii Douglas ex Hook. var. purshii), Bulbous Woodland Star (Lithophragma glabrum Nutt.), Sagebrush Buttercup (Ranunculus glaberrimus Hook.), and a couple of species of Desert Parsley (Lomatium ssp.) were out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was surprised by the Arrowleaf Balsamroot which was barely out, because it normally blooms later in April. I guess the one plant I saw blooming was being adventurous taking advantage of the sun on the southerly facing slope.

In a few weeks, more species will be in full bloom. When the Arrowleaf Balsamroot is in full bloom in a few weeks, it will be a colorful site.