Calochortus Parade, part 4

The fourth and final installment of Calochortus Parade features the Star Tulips. I've only encountered two species of Star Tulips in the wild - C. umbellatus at Ring Mountain and C. minimus from Yosemite National Park. Both species are incredibly enchanting.

C. umbellatus is a lovely pale/blush pink flower that blooms early - with the early spring annuals, starting in mid-March, staying in bloom for about 4 to 6 weeks at Ring Mountain. The flowers are small, about 2 inches across, nestled in the grass in many places, turning them into little hidden jewels.

C. minimus is an even smaller pure white flower, approximately one inch in diameter. It was easy to step on them before I realized what was underfoot! It blooms in the Yosemite 'spring' - a time that is always dependent upon the snowmelt. I saw it in early to mid-June but I imagine it could be found later or earlier depending upon how much snow has to melt from the higher meadows.