This was a dramatic sight. I was descending the last grade before the turnoff to the Keddie Cascades Trail. A cliff on my right was loaded with flowers, but I had to pay attention to the road to park safely. As the cliff gave way to a steep slope, I saw a row of False Solomon's Seal like sentries along the ridge. I parked and scrambled up the hill for photos then discovered many other interesting things.
The False Solomon's Seal were blooming, and here's a close-up of a cluster of flowers.
On the slope leading up to the Solomon's Seals were several healthy specimens of California Waterleaf, but I was so focused on the former that I didn't notice the latter until I was on my way down. Precarious footing, but I managed to get some close-ups. There's lots of this blooming on the road cuts along the LaPorte Road. Some have flowers that are more blue or purple than these.
Then I came across one of the healthiest bundles of Arrowleaf Balsamroot I've seen. Often mistaken for Mule's Ears, here are some close-ups to help make the distinction.
As the name implies, the large leaves are shaped like arrowheads. On the Mule's Ears, the leaves are elongated ovals.
The flowers on both species are very similar, but on the Balsamroot they often rise a fair distance above their tallest leaves. Not so with the Mule's Ears.
My last new find along this stretch was a couple of Western Wallflowers. This member of the Mustard family varies from dark orange to dark yellow to light yellow over its range which is from the lower canyon, around 2,000' to the Lakes Basin at 6,500'. At least that's the range in which I've found it.
It's apparent that I found too many flowers and animals of interest for two posts, so there will be a third one soon. The next report begins with the Pacific Starflower found near this Wallflower, then stops at Butterfly Creek, then moves on to the Greenville Y. I'm getting jumpy because I know lots of new species are blooming as I type.
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