The spring wildflowers are in bloom on Vancouver Island! When British Columbia emerges from its long damp winter it is an ideal time to look for flowers in bloom. There are a number of different species of beautiful wildflowers that grow along coastal forest trails and riversides. Here are some of the more noticeable spring wildflowers to look for, as well as some of the less frequently seen ones.
Pink Fawn Lily (Erythronium revolutum)
Like the name suggests, the pink fawn lily is pink in colour (although it comes in varying shades of pink) and usually sports a single nodding flower with bent back tepals. The pink fawn lily (Erythronium revolutum) has a pair of large mottled basal leaves. It often carpets the forest floor in moist woodlands along streams and rivers. One of the earliest spring wildflowers to bloom, pink fawn lily is spectacular!
Western Trillium (Trillium ovatum)
This distinctive white flower is easy to identify. It has a large striking single flower with three large petals. With age, these petals turn to pink and purple in colour. Beneath the flower is a set of three broad leaves which are arranged in a whorl. Western trillium (Trillium ovatum) grows in moist forests, along streams and rivers, as well as in shaded open forest. A classic spring wildflower, western trillium is hard to miss!
Lyall’s Anemone (Anemone lyallii)
This small woodland flower is definitely worth looking for. Lyall’s Anemone (Anemone lyallii) has a single white flower with five sepals (which look like petals). It also has leaves in sets of three. However, unlike the trillium, the leaves are lobed and coarsely toothed. This makes each leaf look like three separate leaves. With a little extra work, you can find these wildflowers in bloom alongside some trails in moist coastal forests.
Pacific Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa)
Just starting to come into bloom is Pacific Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa). Common in moist forests and alongside streams and rivers, Pacific Bleeding Heart forms a lacy carpet of fern-like green leaves. Clusters of five to fifteen heart-shaped pink flowers dangle from the stem of the plant. The seeds are dispersed by ants which are attracted by a white oil-rich appendage on each black pebbled seed.
Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton americanum)
The bright yellow bracts and immature flowers of Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton americanum) have been been out since late March but now the leaves are really starting to develop and namesake smell of the plant lends its pungent odor to the air. Skunk Cabbage (or Swamp Lantern) prefers wet saturated soil. It grows in swamps and fens, wet forests and mucky seepage areas. In the early part of the spring wildflower bloom, you’ll definitely smell it before you see it!
Stream Violet (Viola glabella)
The flowers of Stream Violet (Viola glabella) are yellow. Purple lines mark the three lower petals. The two lateral petals are white-bearded. This is one feature that distinguishes it from the Trailing Yellow Violet (V. sempervirens). The dark green heart-shaped leaves have toothed edges and taper to a point. Like the name suggests, this is another flower to look for alongside streams and in moist forests.
All of these wildflowers bloom in the spring on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Consult Plants of Coastal British Columbia (Pojar and Mackinnon)