Wildflowers and Orchids on Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands

April 11th we managed to get away for the day - our day out that week - and visited a number of sites on Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands looking for orchids and other wildflowers and found plenty of both.  The day was overcast and wet when we arrived at our first stop but the rain soon went away and though the sun did not come out it was a good day for wildflower photography.

We found the Western Fairy Slippers still blooming at several locations and the Western Spotted Coralroots just starting to bloom.  At one location found a few plants of the red form of the Western Heart-leaved Twayblade and at another several plants of the albino form of the Western Fairy Slipper.  Along with them we found an abundance of other flowers.

raindrops on everything

raindrops on Camas

Fairy Slippers

Heart-leaved Twayblade

Spotted Coralroot

British Soldier Lichens

Panther Cap

Seep-spring Monkeyflower

Woodrush

Miner's Lettuce

Sea Blush

 Giant Blue-eyed Mary

Chocolate Lilies

Fawn Lilies

Field Chickweed

Few-flowered Shooting Star

Common Camas

Fairy Slippers

white Fairy Slippers

Spotted Coralroots

Spring Wildflowers and Orchids

We managed to get out to look for wildflowers and orchids last week and found both.  We visited a number of favorite places on Fidalgo Island and found the spring wildflowers well along and the first of the native orchids beginning to bloom.

Deception Pass

we spent most of our time on Pass Island under the bridge

the Douglas Firs were producing both their male and female cones

while some of the older cones still hung on

the Pacific Madrones were in full flower

we were surprised at the number of wildflowers already in bloom

Prairie Stars, Gold Stars, Beach Strawberries, Common Camas, Naked Broomrape,

  Northern Bedstraw, Oregon Sunshine, and a few Grass Widows still hanging on

  we also hiked the Bowman Beach trails and found wildflowers there also,

though not so many

Giant Kelp

driftwood

Oyster shell

Pixie Cup Lichens

more Douglas Fir male cones

Pacific Madrone bark and leaves

lichens

Flowering Red Currant

 Red Huckleberry

Blue-eyed Mary

last of all we went to Washington Park near Anacortes

and found more wildflowers, including

Early Saxifrage, Fawn Lilies and Sea Blush

and Columbia Black-tailed Deer, eating everything in sight

at several other locations we found the first Fairy Slippers of the year,

including one white flower