RHH's photos with the keyword: bulb

Camassia quamash was second only to salmon as a food source among the native Indian tribes of the northwest. In many cases families had their own areas which were handed down from generation to generation, and the bulbs, the edible part of the plant, were very carefully harvested with only the largest bulbs being taken. These flower buds were photographed in Washington Park near Anacortes, Washington.

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.

Camassia quamash was second only to salmon as a food source among the native Indian tribes of the northwest. In many case families had their own areas which were handed down from generation to generation, and the bulbs, the edible part of the plant, were vary carefully harvested with only the largest bulbs being taken. They are still sometimes eaten today, but the following warning applies: "Death camas (Zigadenus venenosus) can be confused with edible camas bulbs and is toxic. Be sure of your identification of camas bulbs before eating them!"

A low-growing spring bulb called "glory-of-the-snow," photographed in a neighbor's yard by my son.

Unknown tulip hybrid.

Blooming in a neighbor's garden, but not blooming with the snow this year. We've had no snow since October and very little freezing weather, so they are blooming this year along with the forsythias and early flowering trees.

Some of the earliest spring bulbs to bloom, Chionodoxa or "Glory of the Snow" are related to Squills. There are about eight species native to Turkey, Crete and Cyprus, but they have also naturalized in different areas of western Europe. This, I believe, is Chionodoxa luciliae. I have so many pictures that I am going to start uploading several a day and hope I can keep up with the commenting. Please do not feel that you have to comment on all of them.

Monday we visited the Skagit Valley to see the tulip fields. This was one of the many photos we took. I tried to take some pictures that were a little different from usual "acres of tulips" photos, and this, looking toward the North Cascades from a low vantage point, seemed worth posting. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2012/05/skagit-vall...

When we visit the tulip fields in the Skagit Valley we always spend some time at the gardens of Roozengaarde Bulb Company and I always look there among the thousands of tulips for those that have color break. I understand this is caused by a virus, but am fascinated by the weird color combinations and patterns it produces. This was one of this year's finds. And I do realize the photo is somewhat overexposed, but liked the effect. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2012/05/skagit-vall...

Taken in a neighbor's garden on an afternoon walk in Lynden, the town in which we live. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/03/spring-walk...