From the first buttercups and grass widows, emerging amid patches of snow, to the last yarrow and lupine in autumn, wildflower season is a time of color and beauty at Pine Lakes Ranch. Though I’m certainly not an expert, I have enjoyed learning the names of many of the flowers I have photographed and picked through the years. Many have more than one common name, like the sugarbowl or vase flower. Some come in several different colors, for instance buckwheat and penstemons. Some are even edible – try wild onion blossoms in your salad and use the bulb like garlic. If you want to identify wildflowers, there are several good field guides available. My favorite is The Audubon Society Fieldguide toNorth American Wildflowers.
There is only space to illustrate a few here and it is hard to choose. At the height of the blooming season, it is easy to pick a large bouquet on the ranch in which no two flowers are alike. Here are some you may have seen or picked. I’ve included notes about color, size, blooming season, and where you are most likely to find them.
