Satin Flower and Osoberry

You may recall I went up to Highrock Park a week or so ago in search of the earliest of indigenous spring flowers here, the Satin Flower. There were none visible then nor at my next visit a few days ago. But today, there they were, nodding delicately in the breeze. Spring is so late this year that I expect the spring flowers will be treading on each other's heels rather than appearing in the fairly measured progression they follow in normal years. One truly balmy spring day will do it. Below is an impressionistic treatment of another of the earliest native spring blooms I saw today, the Osoberry or Indian Plum.

Satin Flower

Here is one of our very earliest spring wildflowers, the delicate little Satin Flower (Olsynium douglasii). While these are not really rare, I've only ever seen them in small isolated patches. These ones pop up in the same spots every year near the summit of Highrock Park in Vic West. The flowers seem almost too heavy for the slender stems and jostle around in the slightest breeze, making them very difficult to photograph.

Satinflower (Olsynium douglasii)

Here's another early bloomer, the Satin-flower or Grasswidow. I find some little patches of these every year near the summit of Highrock Park. These are blooming about ten days or two weeks earlier than last year.

Satin-flower (Olsynium douglasii)

As soon as the weather begins to feel like spring I head for one of my favorite local parks, Highrock Park in Esquimalt. On its southern slopes I can almost always find the first spring flowers. When I went there yesterday afternoon I was pleased to see these lovely magenta Satin-flowers (Olsynium douglasii) blooming. They are generally among the earliest of spring wildflowers here. Lewis Clark (Wild Flowers of British Columbia) says they are, "...sensitive to every whisper of wind..." and I am reminded of that every year when I set out to take photos of these lovely little plants. Capturing an unblurry photo is a real challenge when the slightest breeze will set those little blooms swaying.

Spring Wildflowers Recap

I am always so happy to see spring wildflowers arrive that I often post the earliest photos I take rather than the best. So, here is a bit of a revisiting of some of this spring's early photos. Above are some Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon hendersonii). This photo was taken near the summit of Mount Douglas and the Shooting Stars blooming there grow surrounded by low groundcover like moss. This makes the basal leaves much more visible so it is possible to get a good picture of the whole plant rather than just the flower. Below is a Satinflower (Olsynium douglasii). Generally the blooms on these are so close to the ground and droop downwards so much that it is impossible to see the inside of the flower. This one is lifted just enough to enable a good view of the interior. Also, the entire plant is visible.Finally, earlier this year I posted an early photo of a Grape Hyacinth (genus Muscari) in bud. Below you can see what they are like now in glorious profusion. These (and the Satinflower above) were photographed in Highrock Park here in Vic West.

Satin-flower (Olsynium douglasii)

Here is the spring wildflower I found on the summit of Highrock Park last week, the beautiful and delicate Satin-flower (Olsynium douglasii). That's the name given to it by Lewis J. Clark (Wild Flowers of British Columbia), who writes that it's also called Purple-eyed Grass. I like the name Satin-flower because there is such a distinct satiny sheen to the petals. I've seen these wildflowers before but never in such numbers as this year. I suspect I've usually been too late to catch many of them since they are very early bloomers.

Satinflower (Olsynium douglasii)

Here's another entry in the roll-call of indigenous spring flowers here, the Satinflower (Olsynium douglasii). I photographed these at Highrock Park in Victoria West yesterday. It is also known as Douglas's Widow Grass. The weather has been cold lately relative to a few weeks ago, hovering around zero degrees Celsius, and while I was trying to take these photos there were actually a few tiny snow crystals drifting down. Summer is coming but winter has not left yet.