Page 33 - Volume 3 - Walks In The Black Range

At the cabin there is a profusion of Mertensia franciscana, Franciscan Bluebells. In May (photo immediately above) they were in bloom - a week or two later would have been better. We found a few still in bloom in October.
Although the forest trees are dominated by evergreen and aspen there are a few Gambel’s Oaks along the way and on the first part of the trail we found Choke Cherry, Prunus virginiana var. melanocarpa, photo below (this photograph is from May).
The forest floor had a scattering of Fragaria vesca bracteata, Wild (Woodland) Strawberry (below left) in May, promising a morsel of sweetness later in the year. But all that was white was not edible, Canadian Violet, Viola canadensis, was also in full bloom at that time (photo below).