Common Yarrow, Achillea millefolium

This native is commonly found in the Pacific Northwest and has fern-like leaves that are not shown well in the photo, below.

The flower is past its prime, but the presence of a pollen laden bug convinced me to take the picture.

 

Coiled-beak lousewort, Pedicularis contorta

These uncommon flowers were found yesterday along the trail to Silver Star Mountain in SW Washington at an elevation of about 3900 feet.

Mystery Plant

This plant is not a native of Washington State, and the scales shown in the picture remind me somewhat of Pineapple.  Leave a message if you think you know the identity.

Menzies' Larkspur, Delphinium menziesii

These pretty blue flowers were found growing along Fly Creek in SW Washington.

Tall Pepper-grass, Lepidium virginicum

This non-native annual is growing on  a rock outcrop at Lucia Falls County Park in SW Washington.

Sharp-Toothed Cinquefoil, Potentilla arguta

Yet another resident of Lucia Falls County Park in SW Washington, this thornless member of the Rose family is not commonly found West of the Cascades.  I found quite a few growing in a sunny, rocky area with very little soil.

Enchanter's Nightshade, Circaea alpina

I have no idea why, but this plant decided to show up on our property in SW Washington 2 years ago and now there are hundreds.  It is a small understory plant that can form a dense community on the forest floor.
 

Foamflower, Tiarella trifoliata

This native perennial is abundant along the banks of the creek next to our house; I look forward to seeing them come up each Spring and then flowering in late May.

Smooth Alumroot, Heuchera glabra

Another resident of Lucia Falls County Park in SW Washington, this plant was used by native people on cuts to stop bleeding and promote healing.

Cow-Parsnip, Heracleum lanatum

This large plant was found growing near the bank of the East Fork of the Lewis River in Lucia Falls County Park in SW Washington.  It is probably best to not touch this plant as it can cause skin damage, especially to light-sensitive individuals.

Flower closeup:

Clasping Twistedstalk, Streptopus amplexifolius

This member of the Lily family was found growing in a heavily wooded, moist area in Moulton Falls County Park in SW Washington.

Star-Flowered False Solomon's Seal, Smilacina stellata

Similar leaves  but totally different flowers compared to  False Solomon's Seal.  This specimen was found growing in Moulton Falls County Park in SW Washington.

Common Hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna

Rain showers cut the photo session short, but this picture gives an idea of the flowers covering this small tree.  Common Hawthorn is an introduced tree that has naturalized in the Pacific Northwest- in King County, WA, it is considered a Weed of Concern.

Red-Flowering Currant, Ribes sanguineum

Hummingbirds enjoy these native flowers that later in the season result in edible berries.

Oregon Anenome, Anenome oregana

Growing in an active logging area on Bell's Mountain in SW Washington, this plant won't be with the land of the living much longer.

Sea Blush, Plectritis congesta

This native annual has taken over a small opening in the forest at Lucia Falls County Park in SW Washington.

False Solomon's-Seal, Smilacina racemosa

This member of the Lily family can get quite large, attaining heights of near 3 feet.  Later in the season it will be possible to take a picture of fully mature all-white flowers that are then followed by red, round berries.

Small-Flowered Blue-Eyed Mary, Collinsia parviflora

I found these small flowers growing at Lucia Falls County Park in SW Washington on a mossy rock outcrop.  They are a native annual.

Vanilla Leaf, Achlys triphylla

Late afternoon sunshine really lit up this plant- I hope to find plants with flowers later in the season.  Dried leaves have a vanilla-like fragrance.

4-23-2014 update:  picture of an immature flower.  I didn't know until I took this picture that the flowers are on a separate stem from the main plant.

5-5-2014 update 1:

 

5-5-2014 Update 2:

5-30-14 update:

4-11-15 update:
Growing near the top of Bells Mountain in SW Washington, these plants are just starting to emerge for another season.

5-1-2017 update:
Same location as above location but the leaves are slightly more mature.  It is interesting to note that all three leaves are folded up into one 'fan' and will be unfurling in the next week or so.

Ground-ivy, Glecoma hederacea

I was disappointed to learn that this new-to-me flower is native to Eurasia and has escaped cultivation to become widespread in North America.  Also known as Creeping Charlie, it is taking over sections of Lucia Falls County Park in SW Washington.

Baneberry, Actaea rubra

All parts of this native plant are extremely poisonous.  Red berries are present later in Summer.

Immature flowers:

Mature flowers:

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Snowflakes

Recent snow was followed by a very brief period of sunshine; I grabbed my camera and tripod and utterly failed to capture the exquisite geometric patterns that are visible to the naked eye.  Hopefully, subsequent attempts on my part will result in better pictures!

Steamy tree

At first glance this picture looks similar to the previous post except this time it is steam instead of smoke.  Recent rains have gotten everything pretty wet, including the trunks of trees.  Even though the air temperature was in the 30's bright sunshine brought enough warmth to vaporize the water in the bark.

Shafts of light through the trees

For once, smoke from the neighbors perpetually smoky wood stove did something vaguely useful.  With the Sun low in the sky, shafts of light through the trees were highlighted by the smoke.