Western Springbeauty   Claytonia Lanceolata
This is one of the first flowers of spring. It has small pink to white flowers about 6 inches tall, and blooms from March to August, following the melting snow up the mountainside. If Spring beauties have come and gone here at Sleeping Lady, you may find them higher up the Icicle Canyon.

This flower is also known as "Indian potato" which reflects the past importance of the small bulbs as a food. They are abundant across Washington, but are especially common in Ponderosa pine forests. The corms, roots, stems and leaves of many related species are edible, and have been used as food by people throughout the world. None are known to be harmful. Indians ate tubers of Springbeauties. Raw, they taste like a radish, boiled they taste like baked potatoes. Deer, elk and sheep eat the flowers and leaves during early spring. The tubers are eaten by rodents and are especially prized by grizzly bears.

Shooting Star   Dodecatheon sp.
This "inside-out" flower can be found in moist rocky areas in spring. Look for its bright fuchsia blossoms in early May on the rocky knoll above the Chapel or in the shady valley behind the Grotto.

Such an unusual-shaped flower requires a special pollination technique. A visiting bumblebee hangs upside-down from the yellow ring, allowing it access to the sweet nectar.

Arrow-leaved Balsamroot   Balsamorhiza sagittata
This is one of the area's most abundant flowers, often covering south-facing hillsides from Leavenworth to Wenatchee in late April to early May. It has large, arrow-shaped velvety leaves, olive-green on both sides. The flowers are a bright yellow sunflower, up to 2 1/2 feet high and growing one per stem.

Sagitta means arrow-leaved. Native Americans ate the young tender sprouts, large roots, and the seeds, either raw or cooked. The roots are resinous, woody, and taste like balsam. Elk and deer graze the young tender shoots. Both the leaves and flower heads are a preferred spring food of bighorn sheep, and many birds eat the narrow black seeds.