by Dot K. Platt

It is the time to follow spring up our mountains. In late April to mid-May the dogtooth violet blooms along the lower canyons and foothills. Not a violet at all, but a lily (Erythronium grandiflorum), it has many names ... spring lily, snow lily, glacier lily, trout lily, avalanche lily, fawn lily, mountain lily, Easter bells, adder's tongue, Chanaman's hat, and probably other local names. In late July, it may be found at 10,000 feet in the high Uintas, when it is still spring there.

There are several species of true violets. The yellow mountain violet (Viola purpurea) sometimes grows in profusion in mountain meadows. The blue violet (Viola adunca) is tucked here and there along our hiking trails. More about violets --

The little yellow fritillary (Fritillaria pudica) used to bloom along some of our foothills and up further in the canyons. Much of its habitat is now covered with homes.

The buttercups are early bloomers. In Albion Basin, the snow buttercup (Ranunculus adoneus) blooms as the snow melts. In the area around Woodland you can see fields of buttercups, a sheer delight! The tiny steershead (Dicentra uniflora), often overlooked and somewhat rare, really does look like a lavender steer's head.

In moist areas, such as in Albion Basin, one can find the shooting star (Dodecatheon pauciflorum), the bog orchid (Habenaria dilatata), and the charming elephant's head (Pedicularis groenlandica)).

The yellow monkey flower (Mimulus guttatus) grows along streams, and in a very few places you may find the beautiful Lewis monkeyflower (Mimulus lewisii), a lovely deep rose color.

The vivid blue Wasatch penstemon (Penstemon cyananthus) is one of the loveliest of penstemons. The scarlet gilia (Gilia aggregata) gives a dash of red to add to the beauty of the mountain gardens. Several species of Indian paintbrush (Castilleja spp.) grow in many different habitats, ranging from scarlet to deep rose pink to white.

The Colorado columbine, or Rocky Mountain columbine (Aquilegia caerulea) are like lovely white stars, often against the violet blue of lupine. In Colorado the petal-like sepals are very blue. In Utah the sepals are usually white, but some have a slight bluish tinge.

The rose-pink of the Parry's primrose (Primula parryi) is sheer delight when you find this rare bloom, high in Albion Basin. It is lovely -- but don't step on it, for it has a very unpleasant odor.

In Utah, the calypso orchid (Calypso bulbosa) is found only rarely, in the Uintas, under pines. But some years ago, Dixie Rose and I were told by a man that in British Columbia you could dig them up by the shovelful. (Dixie was a UNSS member who wrote often about our flowers.) Both she and I were very skeptical of his remarks. However, on my way to Alaska, we camped at Jasper Park in Canada. As we put up camp, I could see a drift of pink under the pines. I sent my daughter Shawn to see what it was. She came back with a handful of Calypsos. I was astonished, and took a whole roll of film to show Dixie. Unfortunately, Kodak lost my film !!