You know what time it is—it’s March Madness! Here at Deschutes Land Trust, our March Madness might look a little different than you expect. With spring nearly upon us, some early-season wildflowers are starting to emerge. We truly believe that all of these wildflowers are important and beautiful in our own right, but it’s been a long winter and we’re looking for some ACTION.
Over the next three weeks, we’ll be putting some native Central Oregon wildflowers head to head to see who comes out on top. First, let’s introduce you to our players:
Yellow bells (Frittillaria pudica)
Other names: Yellow fritillary, Yellow missionbells, Golden bells, Gold bells
A beautiful yellow, pendant-shaped lily that can be found in grasslands to pine forest. Yellow bell-shaped flowers are 7/8" long and can be yellow to brownish-orange. Leaves are grasslike. Stem grows up to one foot tall and holds 1-2 nodding flowers.
Prairie star (Lithophragma parviflorum)
Other names: Prairie rockstar, Prairie woodland-star
This early bloomer has a delicate, white to lavender-pink, irregular flower atop a slender red stem. Prairie stars are found in sagebrush flats to pine forests. Flowers have five petals that are 1/4" long, each petal divided into three lobes. Flowers bloom atop a 4-12" tall stem.
Spreading phlox (Phlox diffusa)
Other names: Mat phlox
This low-growing flower prefers rocky crevices and exposed locations. These beauties always astound with their pop of color—flowers have five pink-purple-white petals (and can often be neon pink!). Adapted to extreme environments, cushion-like plants like phlox often have taproots 8-15' deep!
Sand lily (Leucocrinum monatanum)
Other names: Common starlily
Scattered along sagebrush flats and pine forests, sand lilies can often look like bunches of tissue paper dotting your view. It grows in rosette-like bunches with 4-8 white flowers per bunch. Flowers have six petals; leaves are 4-8" long, flat, and linear. While it's still a little early to spot these delicate beauties, their leaves are starting to emerge, if you look closely.
Sagebrush buttercup (Ranunculus glaberrimus)
Other names: Smooth buttercup
One of the first wildflowers of the season! These yellow flowers can turn white as they age. They are found in sagebrush flats, pine forests, and areas with juniper. The flowers have five petals that are 1/2" long atop a single stem. Petals are glossy, often looking wet with dew.
Wax currant (Ribes cereum)
Other names: None
Wax currant grows in mountain forests, sagebrush, and on the dry edges of forests. It grows 2-6 feet tall. Leaves are gray-green, shiny, and finely toothed. In the spring and early summer, flowers hang in clusters from the tips of branches. Flowers are white to pale pink and shaped like long tubes. Wax currant has an aromatic, "spicy" smell. It is enjoyed by birds (particularly hummingbirds), butterflies, and bees.
Bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva)
Other names: None
Flowers are a vibrant deep rose, pink, or sometimes white, up to 2" wide. Be sure to look down as you search for this beauty since bitterroot blooms very close to the ground. Rediviva is Latin for the plant’s amazing ability to come back to life after being dug up, dried and stored. Bitterroot is culturally significant for many Native American Tribes in the West, and usually blooms in May.
Brown’s peony (Paeonia brownii)
Other names: None
It’s low growing (10-20in tall) with lacey leaves and is usually found in sagebrush and ponderosa pine habitat. Its distinctive brown to maroon flower, often with green to yellowish edges, droops downward and is almost hidden underneath the plant. Each flower has 60-100 pollen-producing stamens that, when fertilized by insects will produce large, fleshy fruits that hang from the center of the flower. Brown’s peony is one of only two peonies native to western North America and blooms May-June.
How do I vote?
Now that you know who’s competing during March Madness, here’s how you can help us find our new March Madness champion!
Over the next three weeks, you’ll be able to vote for your flower favorites. Check our social accounts and visit this blog post to cast your vote each week. You may only cast one vote per bracket. The March Madness Champion will be announced on April 9th, so stay tuned to see if your favorite made it out on top!
In the meantime, be sure to be on the lookout for these flowers on your next outing at a Land Trust Preserve. You can learn more about where to find these blooming buds here.
Good luck to all our players, and may the “best” flower win!
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