Early spring wildflowers

#funfactfriday Can you name some of our earliest spring flowers?

Many folks are familiar with the famous Arrow-leaved Balsamroot, the gorgeous yellow sunflower that carpets the hills each spring, but there are many other wildflowers that show up even before the Balsamroot! You just have to look a little harder for these ones - none of the wildflowers named here are more than about 5 inches tall!

Avoid picking wildflowers natural areas. Most do not like being cut and just wilt within a few hours anyways!

Clockwise from top left:

1. Western Spring Beauty - while there are usually just a few flowers on each stem, there can sometimes be as many as 15 blooms on a single stalk

2. Sagebrush Buttercup - this earliest of flowers is sometimes seen poking out of the snow in late February

3. Large-fruited Desert Parsley - also called Biscuitroot, this delicate wildflower is part of the Carrot family

4. Yellow Bell (Yellow Fritillery) - as it ages, the flower turns from bright yellow to a deep burgundy