Howard Meadow 6/1/26
6/1/26 and 6/4/26
Last week I hiked in the Lakes Basin 3 times! It was absolutely fabulous to be back in my home away from home! We went out to Howard Meadow twice, and I hiked up to the Helgramite Lakes on another day! The meadows were greening up and wildflowers were blooming everywhere we went!
Unfortunately, I don't have much time to write today so enjoy the photos! Better yet, get out there yourself and enjoy the beauty!
Howard Meadow buttercup field
On the lower right side of Howard Meadow, there was a large section that was filled with thousands of yellow Buttercups! It was amazingly gorgeous!!
Water Plantain Buttercups - Ranunculus alismifolius
Camas - Camassia quamash
Down by the creek that flows through Howard Meadow,
there were thousands of Camas in bloom!
Camas - Camassia quamash
Just gorgeous!!!
Howard Meadow Pond
We discovered this small pond in a different part of Howard Meadow last year!
This year the pond was just filled with pollywogs!!!
Primrose Monkeyflower - Mimulus primuloides
These little Primrose Monkeyflowers have leaves with lots of long hairs on the upper surface! So unusual! They were growing in the wetter areas of the meadow.
Sierra Lewisia - Three-leaf Lewisia
Lewisia nevadensis - Lewisia triphylla
These lovely Lewisias were found scattered along
the drier edges of the meadow.
Stickseed - Hackelia sp.
These lovely stickseeds were growing in the dry forest floor, adjacent to the meadow. There were big groups of them in some areas, as well as scattered individual plants. I love their baby blues and pinks!
Western Waterleaf - Hydrophyllum occidentale
These Western Waterleaf plants were numerous in the shady forest!
Elephant's Head (in bud) - Water Plantain Buttercups
Pedicularis groenlandica - Ranunculus alismifolius
I only found one Elephant's Head in the meadow, and it wasn't blooming yet! I'll have to go back soon to see if more show up and blossom!
Elephant's Head - Pedicularis groenlandica
In another meadow, on that same day, we found an incredible amount of Elephant Heads growing along the edge of a small creeklette!!! There were several hundred of them in bloom, more than I've ever seen before in one area! Amazing, elaboratley beautiful flowers! How lucky we were to come across them!!!
Long Lake & Mt. Elwell - 6/3/26
6/3/26
On another day, I hiked by myself up to the Helgramite Lakes in the Lakes Basin. It was a beautiful blue-sky day and I had a fabulous time!
un-named lake near Helgramite Lake and Mt. Elwell
As usual there were several ducks on this lake. Hopefully they'll raise some ducklings here. I also heard and saw a Spotted Sandpiper on the shore! I looked for Yellow-bellied Marmots in this area, but only (maybe) saw one duck for cover. Not sure if it was a Marmot or a squirrel. Maybe next time!!!
un-named meadow near Helgramite Lake
This meadow is one of my absolutely favorite meadows! It was just starting to green-up, and there were some Elephant Heads and a few Shooting Stars in bloom!
un-named pond near Helgramite Lake
I hiked cross-country up to this vernal pond, and was delighted to find it full of water! Some years it's dry as a bone. This will be dried out in another month or less, depending on the weather. But that day, it was great fun to take a dip in it!
Mountain Pride - Penstemon newberryi
The wildflowers were really coming in to bloom! The magenta Mountain Pride stole the show!
Mountain Pride - Penstemon newberryi
They were in full bloom everywhere, in small to large groups,
sometimes cascading down rocky slopes!
Spreading Phlox - Phlox diffusa
The Spreading Phlox was carpeting the forest floor in profuse fragrant blossoms! They definitely win the prize for fragrance! Get down on your knees and inhale their lovely floral scent, it's beautiful!
Torrey's Blue-eyed Mary's - Collinsia torreyi
These Blue-eyed Mary's are tiny but super numerous on the forest floor. They can go undetected, as they are so small, but often carpet large areas of the forest.
Another profusely blooming plant in the damp areas, was Fendler's Meadow Rue . The tiny male and female flowers are borne on separate plants. The male flowers have dangly, pollen-covered tassels that are beautifully delicate.
Veronica Lake 5/26/26
5/26/26
Two weeks ago, my friends Nancy and Patti, and I decided to hike in the Lakes Basin. It was a drizzly day down in my neighborhood, so we grabbed our rain gear and headed up for a hike. When we arrived at the Round Lake Trailhead, it was SNOWING lightly but we decided to hike out to Veronica Lake anyway, just a 3 mile round-trip hike. On the way there it sifted light snow that didn't build up on the ground.
Spotted Mountain Bells - Fritillaria atropurpurea
We were able to find and photograph some cool Spotted Mountain Bells on the way! These flowers are brown and green and hard to spot. They also aren't very common, so we were lucky to find them!
Spreading Phlox - Phlox diffusa
The Spreading Phlox was a bit water-logged, but the pattern of the raindrops was incredibly beautiful! I'd never seen this before!
Spotted Mountain Bells - Fritillaria atropurpurea
The raindrops made these fritillaries even more beautiful! Look at how fine a balance they have on the petals!
By the time we got to Veronica Lake, the rain was really coming down. We took a few photos then hot-footed it back to parking lot as quick as we could, but the rain turned to a snow flurry on the way!!! Luckily it wasn't building up on the ground and we drove slowly and safely back down the road and home! What a great adventure that was!!!
What birds are in the Lakes Basin now?
What else is blooming?
What insects are out and about!
Check back in two weeks for my next natural history blog,
on Sunday, June 21st.
Your comments and questions are greatly appreciated. Please email me at northyubanaturalist.com
