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Sunday, April 7, 2013

Flora of the Interior Dry Belt

Within our Interior Cedar Hemlock Rainforest, there exists a unique little zone of the Interior Dry Belt. I recently spent a lovely afternoon in this zone, with a few friends. The flora is unique to this zone and quite dissimilar to that of the Wet belt.

These photos are especially for the enjoyment of my dear friend, Daniel Berry, who lives in the Alberta Winter Zone!

Click on the photos to enlarge.


Western Spring Beauty ~ Claytonia lanceolta ~ Indian Potatoe


The Yellow Bells ~ Fritillaria pudica ~ were just starting to bloom



Brittle Prickly-Pear Cactus ~ Opuntia frilis
The flowers of this cactus are spectacular. In another two weeks it shoud be in bloom.

A stately and very old Rocky Mountain Juniper ~ Juniperus Scropulorum.

Big Sagebrush ~ Artemisia tridenta

Ponderosa Pine

There was lots of Wolf lichen ~ Vulpina letharia ~ growing on the trees

Several Lomatium species in various stages of growth.
Thinking Lomatium triternatum...
Lomatium dissectum or macrocarpum. I'll go back and key them out.

Yellow Glacier Lily ~ Erythronium grandiflorum

Arrow leaf Balsam Root ~ Balsamoriza sagittata ~ We could smell the volatile resins/oils all around us!
Close up of the Balsam Root flower

Looking east up the Shuswap River
Fly away, fly away, fly away home!