Wildflower Walk-about

Hello friends, today I would like to take you 

on a wildflower walk-about! 

These are some of the beautiful wildflowers that 

are growing on my property, here in the 

foothills of western Washington State. 

This little beauty is called Western Trumpet Honeysuckle. 

Here Ramblin' Man shows size comparison to his hand. 

This sweet flowering vine is attractive to Hummingbirds. 

It is found in dry, open forests along the west coast

from Vancouver Island to California. 

This pretty ground-cover is called 'Enchanter's-Nightshade'. 

It forms large, perennial colonies of tender leaves

with tiny white flowers in spring, and grows 

in cool, damp forests from western Alaska to Oregon. 

Another wildflower that is a source of nectar

for hummingbirds is Cooley's Hedge-Nettle, 

a member of the mint family. 

These grow 12-18" tall in open, moist woods

and thickets. 

They are one of my favorites :) 

These little bells are known as 'Fringecup'. 

They are perennial and very fragrant. 

They are very similar to Coral Bells - with 

flower wands that rise from hairy, veined basal leaves. 

The whole plant is attractive and forms large colonies

in open clearings in low to middle elevations. 

We are at 1200' elevation. 

My very scientific guidebook says this : "Fringecup was said to be

eaten by woodland elves to improve night vision"! 

Do you see any elves? 

This pretty little wildflower is called 'Herb Robert'. 

It is a wild geranium with an unpleasant odor, 

commonly called 'Stinky Bob' :) 

The guide says that the name is so ancient that

no one is quite sure where it came from. 

An introduced Eurasian weed 

the name dates all the way back to the Duke of Normandy

 or possibly Rudbert of Salzburg of the 8th century. 

It is a biennial that forms a pretty ground-cover the first year

then flowers on upright, branched stems, the second year. 

Another pretty, pink perennial wildflower with lacy leaves

is Pacific Bleeding Heart. 

After flowering they form pod-like, oil-rich capsules

that are attractive to ants, which disperse the seeds. 

We have lots of berries here - this flower is Thimble Berry. 

These are low, thornless shrubs with large maple-like leaves. 

They form dense thickets through a network of rhizomes. 

The fruits are raspberry-like and were eaten by all 

northwest coast native peoples, 

frequently dried with other berries or smoked clams. 

The taste is rather bland, but the birds love them. 

Another pretty berry flower is Himalayan Blackberry. 

These are pink in shade and white in sun. 

These can be quite invasive and we have 

a job keeping them from taking over

in places. 

Here we let them grow alongside the drive, 

although Ramblin' Man has to keep order

every couple of years by cutting them back in winter. 

This interesting fuzzy, purple flower is called 

'Douglas Spirea' or 'Hardhack'. 

These grow on wiry, branching twigs that were used by 

coastal native peoples to make broom-like implements for 

collecting tubular marine dentalia shells. 

Dentalia shells were traded as far as the Great Plains

and were a form of currency among northwest coast peoples. 

You can see images of dentalia shells Here.

Another flowering shrub used by native coastal peoples
is Ocean Spray. The lacy flowers bloom on the tips
of long, arching twigs. This shrub is also called 'Ironwood'
because of the strength of its wood.

It was used to make spears and harpoon shafts,
bow and arrow shafts, halibut hooks, and even
needles and knitting needles by virtually all
coastal peoples.

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the blooming native plants
growing here in the foothills
of the Cascade Mountains of Washington State.

Thank you for coming along on my Wildflower Walk-about,
Dear Friends!

Which flower is your favorite?

xoxo

Today I am linking with:

Flower Wednesday



Won't you join the fun?