5-3-21 Leptarrhena pyrolifolia - winter foliage.

Plants just beginning to show a bit of spring green. Growing along the upper valley roadside in the gravel, past Peace of Mind Trail - where the more 'alpine' plant species thrive.

L. pyrolifolia lives also in upper wet meadows where the winter leaves do not become as deeply bronzed/maroon in color.
In the late summer-early fall their tall reddish stems topped with two-pronged red seed pods sometimes create a reddish haze in the patches where they cluster.
Occasionally one finds this species with Green stems & Green seedpods scattered among the others.

5-3-21 Ptilium crista-castrensis. Small group growing under Salix shrubs where they get winter sun & wind cover. The yellow-green plants are in a more exposed area. The deeper green ones have more grass cover and appear to be a bit more advanced in their spring growth as a result.