Flora

When we are hiking, I'm usually lagging behind looking at all the wildflowers and taking pictures.  
At  home I pull out my Pacific Northwest wildflower books and try to figure out what I saw.  Plants here are so different from my childhood meadows and woodlands in Indiana that I am learning so many new-to-me plants.

Above:  Bear Grass in bloom (xerophyllum tenax)
Below: Vanilla Leaf or Deer Foot (achlys triphylla)







Above:  Under the towering Douglas firs, I love the understory of vine maples (acer circinatum) and Pacific dogwoods (cornus nuttallii, not pictured).  The dappled light under these trees reminds me of my favorite Japanese gardens.




Above: Evergreen violet or redwood violet (viola sempervirens)--somewhat rare

Below: A bad picture of a fairyslipper (calypso bulbosa, but in this case I happen to love the common name more than the scientific name)