In April, I reported on my Springtime visits to Kah Tai Prairie. Here’s an update with late spring flowers (April 30) and summer flowers (June 23).
The Daily Bucket is a regular feature of the Backyard Science group. It is a place to note any observations you have made of the world around you. Snails, fish, insects, weather, meteorites, climate, birds and/or flowers. All are worthy additions to the bucket. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the patterns that are quietly unwinding around us. Please let us know what is going on around you in a comment. Include, as close as is comfortable for you, where you are located.
Kah Tai Prairie at the end of April Death Camas (Zigadenus venenosus), April 30As explained previously, Kah Tai Preserve is a remnant of the PNW prairie landscape that emerged after the retreat of the ice age glaciers. This 1.4 acre piece survived development because of benign neglect, having been set aside as a "rough" in a golf course.
At my last visit, the poisonous Death Camas were just starting to bloom as the edible Common Camas (Camassia quamash) were fading. On April 30, the Death Camas were in full bloom and taking over the scene. This would have been the perfect time for the native people that traditionally nurtured the prairies to harvest the bulbs of the blue Common camas while they could still tell the blue and white flowering plants apart. Sometimes, the white camas plants would be weeded out of the blue camas fields to prevent accidental poisonings.
Let’s see what else was blooming!