One of the cool things about the uplands at Catherine Creek is the moss that grows everywhere. In this picture living moss and dead bits of moss form a background for a Bitter Root that is just coming into bloom. At the base of the upper cluster of buds the remnants of the green Bitter Root leaves are still just visible. Bitter Root foliage appears in the early spring and then shrivels as the plant transfers energy stored in the succulent leaves into the root and into the flowers.
Ash Creek Images
Photographs of the West by Doug Gorsline
Bitter Root Buds Burst into Bloom at Catherine Creek, Washington.
