Spring at Turnbull

We went into Cheney this morning to pick up the box of mail that Daughter MM had sent, only to discover that the Cheney Post Office is NOT open on Saturdays. Since we were so close, we decided that we would pay a visit to the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, which is just a couple of miles outside of town.

The roadside was alive with the yellows of Arrowleaf Balsamroot and the blues of lupine -

 

The Nine-leaved Desert Parsley -

And field after field of my second-favorite Spring wildflower - Camas!

This dainty lily's roots were a staple food for many Native American tribes --

We literally saw thousands of these small allium type plants. We didn't see any opened or flowering and I cannot find it in any of my flower books. It was three to five inches tall...

 

We did see a few Biscuitroot plants. The roots of this plant were also used for a flour-like food.

 

Many of the wooded areas of the refuge were carpeted with my very favorite Spring wildflower. I don't know whether I like saying the name, Arrowleaf Balsamroot, or just enjoy their buoyant cheerful color!

Just as we were driving out of the auto loop and out of the refuge, I spotted a flash of pink. Forry backed up and we finally spotted it again. This is Sticky Geranium, a wild geranium. The flowers are a favorite food of both elk and moose.

 

We did not see a great many birds today. We saw several blackbirds, including a yellow-headed one, a flicker, two turkey hens, several geese, the pair of resident trumpeter swans and several coots, but that's about it. Forry had to give me a bad time about turning his bird-watching trip into a flower trip!