Mount Hebo

Pioneer Indian Trail in July

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July 8, 2004 we take what we assume to be our last hike of the season on Mount Hebo. The forest is in optimum condition. The weather had been fairly dry and the foliage was mature and not yet fading to autumn colors.

We find a few wildflowers in the forest that we hadn't seen this year on previous Hebo hikes: Red Columbine, Mountain Monkey Flower, Starflower and Tiarella.

Red Columbine	Mountain Monkey Flower
Starflower	Tiarella

We anxiously head toward the prairie to the one area that we are aware the Tiger Lily blooms. It is a late and short bloomer. Once on the prairie we spot some other late blooming wildflowers: Harebell, Twinflower, Groundsel, Bugbane and Ranuncluls occidentalis.

Harebell

Twinflower

Groundsel

Bugbane

Ranunculus occidentalis

The Tiger Lilies are indeed in bloom, hundreds of them. And they are spectacular, especially with the mountains behind them.

On the prairie we also find three wildflowers that we can't identify, although we believe one is a member of the pea family.

Pea Family Species unknown

Unidentified

We find nothing new blooming on the bog and note that we missed the Helebore blooms again this year. On our last hike they were not yet blooming, and now they are done, the dried flowers hanging from the plant. We eat our lunch in contemplation, thinking about the change in seasons that soon will come, and with it a dramatic change in Mount Hebo's Pioneer Indian Trail. Then we backtrack to the forest and our car.

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