Buttercup ( Ranunculus glaberrimus )
Wild Rose ( Rosa )
For me , serious “ spring ” searches for wildflowers begin in mid-February and focus on a gorgeous little wildflower that , based on my experience , is Alberta ’ s first reliable bloomer : the early buttercup ( Ranunculus glaberrimus ). The flower has a crossprovince range from , roughly speaking , the Crowsnest River valley south into Montana . This year , I found the first blooming buttercup on February 29 , a date on par with previous years and not earlier , despite the past winter being Alberta ’ s warmest in recorded history .
Last winter was also a season of climatic extremes — atypical warmth followed by brutal cold . Many flowers bloomed only to be buried in snow or entombed in ice . A multi-year drought , too , stole soil moisture and added to the floral death toll .
Today , winter is in the history books . It ’ s time to rejoice . The sun is shining , and the season of floral abundance is upon us .
Look for wildflowers in fields and forests near you . Take time to examine them closely . Don ’ t look down on Alberta ’ s winning wildflowers ; lie down and face them at ground level .
And don ’ t forget to smell the roses as you , nosedeep in floral abundance , discover that locoweed also has a fragrance that ’ s divine . ( Warning : don ’ t eat locoweed , not that you ’ d likely be tempted . It ’ s toxic .)
David McIntyre lives on the land he loves in the storied headwaters of southwestern Alberta ’ s Oldman River . He holds an MSc from the University of Washington ( College of the Environment ) and , for decades , led hiking and whitewater rafting trips for the Smithsonian Institution throughout the United States West and the Canadian Rockies .
SUMMER 2024 | 21