Common Camas

These were not open yet when we visited Sharpe Park last spring, but they are a very common wildflower here in the Pacific Northwest and an important food source for the native Americans. We have seen them growing in fields by the thousands and probably in areas that were carefully harvested in years past. The bulbs are the edible part of the plant but one must be sure what one is eating since the Death Camas has similar looking plant and bulb, though the flowers are very different. These were photographed on the granite balds at Sares Head in Sharpe Park. The flowers are pictured in the inset photo.