How I made a wildflower discovery

Something new

This past weekend I discovered a wildflower species I had never seen before on my sister’s ranch outside Kamloops, in the BC Interior. It didn’t start well. Telus tech support put me on hold for fifty-five minutes. So, when the agent finally came on, I had to restrain myself when she asked me how I was.

When you’re on hold with Telus, they tell you about all the good they do in the community, from fundraising to volunteering and I applaud them. I just wished they’d invest into more agents for the Monday morning rush.

Pasture

The pasture I walked through hadn’t been grazed by cattle since last year, which allowed the showy Sagebrush Mariposa Lily (Calochortus macrocarpus) to really pop. This native lily family plant was very showy in a grassy field. So, I shifted focus from Telus propaganda to this new wildflower, that is, new to me. And what a pleasant discovery it was.

The foliage is grass-like so the plant fits in nicely. It also produces one to three flowers but all of the specimens I saw sported single flowers.

You can clearly see the flower structures and the “bearded” sections. Online, the flower stalk is described as stout, and stout it is. You can expect to see it grow to anywhere from 8-20 inches; and see blooms in July and August.

The plant is a bulbous perennial and, I understand, the bulbs take a few years to mature. That might explain why I had never seen the flowers on my sister’s ranch before. Indigenous people eat the bulbs raw or cooked. Since I was on hold with Telus, it didn’t even occur to me to dig up one of the bulbs; and maybe take a bite.

All good

As soon as the Telus agent resolved my problem, I grabbed one of the lily specimens after shooting it with my old iPhone 6. Then I pressed it between the pages of my wildflower guide, since my plant press was already full.

Keep your eyes open as you enjoy your summer. You could make a fun “discovery” like I did. Wildflowers are beautiful.