Today, May Day, I was fortunate enough to travel with the "Friday Walkers" to Yellow Island Preserve on a landing craft. Here is a description from the Nature Conservancy Brochure:
"In the Spring, Yellow Island's scant 10 acres display greater floral profusion and diversity than any other comparable area in the San Juan archipelago. . . It has long been a landmark known for its brilliant wildflowers and rustic driftwood cabin."
From late March to early June, Yellow Island's native fescue grassland supports an ever-changing succession of wildflowers. Colors emerge and recede, beginning with yellow buttercups and delicate white fawn lilies. Camouflaged brown and green chocolate lilies, purple shooting stars and scarlet paintbrush bloom in mid-April and are soon joined by myriad blue camas."
Today was we had fabulous weather and all of the above wildflowers were in bloom, along with red sedums and these tiny little violet things. The caretaker tells us that every year, two acres are burned in order to keep the woody shrubs in check and let the wild bulbs emerge.
It was a great day to be in the San Juan Islands.
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