Half a dozen sharp-eyed flower floozers ignored the rainy weather forecast for a trip to a FFF (Flower floozers' favorite), Enchanted Forest in the Applegate Valley. It could also be called the "Eyes-crossed" expedition because of the many teensy, wheensy flowers we encountered; it was definitely a day for whipping out the lens loops and magnifiying glasses.

Everyone on the hike was eager to find and identify flowering plants, shrubs and trees -- 33 total (I think). Greeting us in the pine forest were spreads of Indian warrior, Shooting star, and Woodland strawberry. The Henderson fawn lilies were done, but we did see their elegant seed pods.

Buckbrush ceanothus was in full fragrant bloom as we passed into the open meadow. With the help of our lenses we met Carrot-leaf horkelia, Dwarf cudweed, Paintbrush owls clover, and Purple sanicle along with old friends Miniature lupine, Goldstars, Blue dicks, Hall's desert parsley, Q-tips or Slender cottonweed, Small rosy plectritis, Common madia, and Slender popcorn flower. As we moved into the oak woodland and upper meadow, the show gained momentum with dozens of Upland larkspur and Woodland star, and hundreds of Pussy ears or Tolmei's Mariposa lily, and True baby stars with a few Small-flower death camas, Sticky cinquefoil, Whiteleaf manzanita, and Western buttercup thrown in.

Heading into the riparian Big-leaf maple-dominated and Madrone forest we found Miners lettuce, Sweet cecily, Fendler's waterleaf, Sierra yellow sanicle, Pacific madrone, Indian plum or Osoberry, Rogue River milkvetch, Western bleeding heart, and the star of the day, Giant white trillium or wakerobin. We lunched among those stately flowers then headed back to the cars and a stop at the Woolridge winery just as the rain began -- perfect timing!

If you want to see pictures of wildflowers mentioned here but not shown, don't forget to check out our extensive Wildflowers Resource page on the AHG website.