Summer Okanagan Wildflowers

As spring moves into summer, a brand new collection of wildflowers bloom in the Okanagan. Look for lilies, orchids, paintbrush, honeysuckle and other exquisite flowers along the higher elevation hiking trails. Keep your eyes open for the pink clovers, yellow and lilac alfafas, yellow salsify, and white yarrows throughout the rest of the valley.

Note from Cindy: I am NOT going to claim to be an expert when it comes to wildflowers. I just started learning the names this year. The photos are from flowers that I have discovered while out and about in Westbank and the Westside (every year I find new ones). You will notice, many of the wildflowers are unnamed (I couldn't find them in my book) and there may be a few mistakes. Please feel free to send in correct names and any other suggestions or comments (cindy@experiencewestbank.com).

June

Yellow Salsify

Yellow Salsify: You can spot the bright yellow salsify growing throughout the valley - particularly along roadsides and other disturbed areas. Once the flowers are spent, look for the large round poofy balls of seed - just waiting for the right breeze to distribute them through the area.

Alfalfa

Alfalfa: Look for the pale lilac to dark purple alfala blooming along Shannon Lake, along roads, and other areas throughout the valley. Alfalfa is commonly found growing alongside clover.

Unknown Pink

Unknown Pink: We captured this pink flower blooming near Shannon Lake Golf Course along a disturbed piece of road. The plant is about two feet tall, and I suspect (but could be wrong) that it belongs to the pea family.

Red Clover

Red Clover: You can't miss the intense pink/red blooms on the red clover. They can be found in fields and grassy areas. I photographed this bloom in the ditch along Gellatly Road near the Gorman Brothers facility.

Oxeye Daisy?

Oxeye Daisy?: One of my favorite flowers from the praires is the daisy (yes, I know it is nasty when it is growing in the fields, but I still love it). However, I am quickly learning that all daisies are not alike. This little gal, less than an inch in diameter has very short petals. Based on the leaves, I am taking a guess, that this is an Oxeye Daisy - brought in from Europe and very invasive. It was growing in the ditches along Gellatly Road.

Showy Daisy?

Showy Daisy?: Who knew that daisies are not all white? These colorful lilac blooms from the Aster family were captured in the bush near the new construction at the end of Shannon Way.

Snowberry

Snowberry: This shrub is easier to spot in the winter when its white berries stand out during the colder months.

Prickly Pear Cactus

Prickly Pear Cactus: These delicate yellow and salmon colored blooms are from the very pokey prickly pear cactus. We found these blooming on a dry hillside - a very delicate mini-ecosystem at the end of Shannon Way. This is the same location where the equally beautiful Bitteroot were blooming last month.

Ensure you are wearly good hiking boots when walking through these mini-deserts (stick to the paths to protect the plants), the "stems" on the prickly pear cactus detach easily and hitch a ride on the boots, or pants, or whatever body parts come in contact with the spines. We've started carrying a pair of pliers in our pack when we bring the dogs - they seem to attract too many cactii pieces to their paws!

Unknown Yellow

Unknown Yellow: This five-petalled yellow bloom was growing along the trails at the end of Shannon Way. If you happen to know what it is called, please email it in!

Common Red Paintbrush

Common Red Paintbrush: This stunning common red paintbrush was blooming through the Telemark Trail area. I took over 20 photos of this bloom set against the grasses, the tiger lilies, and other bright wildflowers in the area.

Wild Rose

Wild Rose: I never knew that a rose is a rose is not a wild rose. There are four different kinds of wild roses shown in my wildflower book with blooms that range from pale pink to dark magenta. I am going to have to start taking pictures of the leaves as well as the flowers to help me identify these. Until then, I am going to be very boring and just call this a "wild rose." It was blooming near the Telemark trails.

Orange Honeysuckle

Orange Honeysuckle: Imagine my surprise when a plant that I have been trying unsuccessfully to grow at home was in full bloom along our hiking path near the Telemark trails! At first, I thought perhaps someone had planted this here, but no, they grow in the wild.

The orange honeysuckle can be found in low to mid elevations throughout the Okanagan.

Here's an interesting tidbit from "Plants of the Southern Interior British Columbia and the Inland NorthWest" by Parish, Coupe and Lloyd. The woody vines from the Honeysuckle plant used to be used by the First Nations people for weaving, binding, lashing, and reinforcing suspension bridges over rivers.

Unknown Yellow

Unknown Yellow: I wish I knew more about these wildflowers! This single yellow flower was blooming along the path near the Telemark trails. The plant itself is about two feet tall with a long thin stem with very few leaves on it. I am wondering it is a type of poppy. It was the only one we saw on our hike.

Tiger Lily

Tiger Lily (Columbia Lily): I have to admit, this Saskatchewan gal was very excited to discover tiger lilies growing in her new home! I am also embarrassed to say that I always thought that the provincial flower of Saskatchewan was the tiger lily (but I knew it didn't look anything like this one). With a little research, I learned that the provincial flower of Saskatchewan is the Western Red Lily (also known as the Prairie Lily)

Now that I know what a tiger lily really looks like - with it's distinctive upsidedown flowers, curled petals, and brown spots - it's become one of my new favorites. This bright yellow/orange wildflower was blooming throughout the area along our hike near Telemark trails. It mixed in amongst the common red paintbrush and made for fantastic photos.

Queens Cup

Queens Cup: These low-lying plants with vibrant shiny green leaves and bright white flowers were spread amongst the path and into the woods near the Telemark Trails.

Look for bright blue berries once the blooms are done.

Mountain Ladyslipper

Mountain Ladyslipper: Without a doubt, the highlight of our hike near the Telemark Trails was the discovery of this exotic orchid growing along the path.

And no, this isn't something you want to dig out and try to move to your garden. According to my wildflower book, ladyslipper's generally die in the garden.

Another Unknown

Another Unknown: I am not sure this is a flower - but the colors were stunning. Each "cluster" is only about the size of a dime. Again, we came across this mystery plant while hiking near Telemark Trails.