Bitterroot Dude Ranch

Wildflowers

Horse riding in magnificent wild flower country

There is a great variety of wildflowers here and some of them grow in glorious profusion at certain times of the year. For many they add pleasure to a stay at our dude ranch and embellish any horseback riding adventure. Some were an important source of food for Native Americans and early settlers. There are far too many to mention them all here, but a few of my favorites are listed below.

Bitterroot

Bitterroot – Dearest to my heart is the bitterroot for which the ranch is named. When I first came to the ranch in June of 1971 the hills were covered with these flowers, giving them a rose color in places. The root is nutritious and was greatly prized by the Indians who dried and stored them for winter. Europeans found it too bitter for their liking. It must supply needed vitamins which were otherwise lacking in Indian diets consisting mainly of meat.

Evening Primrose

Evening Primrose – Somewhat similar to the bitterroot, this flower grows taller and seems more fragile, but flourishes tenaciously in the most arid looking places. The flowers open especially in the evening and at night. They are pollinated mainly by night flying insects like moths.

Larkspur

Larkspur – In wet years this vivid blue flower grows in great profusion in certain patches. It contains poisonous alkaloids which can kill cattle if consumed in large quantities.

Mountain Bluebell

Mountain Bluebell – The blue bell-shaped flowers tend to grow where they have some protection from sage or other bushes. They flower quite early in the spring and tend to hang almost straight down much like a real bell.

Cushion Phlox

Cushion Phlox – These lovely little flowers bloom very early in the spring in great profusion and keep blooming for months. They appear as the snow is melting on the slopes and often bloom in large patches so that one can almost mistake them for a little snowdrift. In places when one is trail riding on a still day they give off a powerful sweet fragrance which is very noticeable.

Wild Strawberry

Wild Strawberry – In June and July one can see many wild strawberry plants blooming along the trails. At our altitude they bear only a tiny fruit, but it has a delicious, sweet flavor despite containing many seeds.

Lance Leaf Stonecrop

Lance Leaf Stonecrop – This hardy flower has adapted to extremely difficult conditions in stony, arid areas where there is little top soil and moisture. It grows in tiny clusters in amazing places where it is hard to imagine how they could survive.

Lupine

Lupine – Lupines are very common around us and bloom quite early and into September, often in great profusion. They are very attractive and are nitrogen fixers to that they make an important contribution to nitrogen poor soils. Unfortunately they also contain poisonous alkaloids which can kill animals, particularly sheep, if consumed in quantity.

Indian Paintbrush

Indian Paintbrush – The vivid red color of these flowers is absolutely striking and I think they are undoubtedly one of the most beautiful of all. They are the state flower of Wyoming and it is always a pleasure to see them on a ride.

I am indebted to two fine books about the wild flowers of this area. They are "Plants of the Rocky Mountains" from Lone Pine and "Sagebrush Country, a Wildflower Sanctuary" by Ronald Taylor. My wife, Mel, took these pictures on the Bitterroot.

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