The wildflower in season has started. This morning the Labrador and I took a quick walk up to see the burn area on Mount Helena. On the way up, we found phlox beginning to blossom; we also found bitterroot leaves popping up out of the ground in relatively large numbers in a reliable location for bitterroots.
The birding was marginal, but we saw house finches, pine siskins, red-breasted nuthatches, Flickers, magpies, crows, ravens, robins, and one small individual that I was unable to identify. It might have been a Kinglet, but I’ll never know.
The burn area is rally greening up. This is likely due both the bunchgrasses having evolved with fire and the retardant that was dropped last August to suppress the fire. Fire retardants contain about 10% ammonium phosphate based fertilizer to help stimulate regrowth. It works. The fire area is much greener the surrounding area.
Considering we had measurable snow on the ground last week, and we have snow in the forecast for later this week, I am delighted that I was able to get out on the trails and see the life returning to our valley.
The trails were intermittently dry, muddy, ice covered, and rutted from runoff. Typical for springtime in the Helena area. And, in short, it was wonderful almost beyond words. I’m really quite pleased that our state flower was one of the first two species I could positively identify. If past is prologue, it will likely be 45 to 55 days before I see bitterroot flowers in bloom. That will be quite lovely.
And so, it begins.
Nature, every day. 
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