This month, I went on a (socially-distanced) hike on Bogus Basin and Schafer Butte. During the hike, I was able to identify 15 species of wildflowers, including a couple that were new to me.

I saw two species of Indian paintbrush, including this pink variety. I’ve only seen it in orange or red.

I looked for sego lilies but did not find them this time. They sometimes grow in large numbers on Mores Mountain.

I did see some shrubby cinquefoil, a small yellow flower that people sometimes confuse with antelope bitterbrush. Cinquefoil is a member of the rose family.

I also saw this Nootka rose, Idaho’s largest native rose.

There was scarlet gilia everywhere. Scarlet gilia or skyrocket is a type of phlox and is pollinated by hummingbirds.

One new species I saw was western horsemint, a pale purplish flower in the mint family.

Another was this pale blue stickseed, a type of false forget-me-not in the borage family.

The other flowers I logged were: dwarf monkeyflower, lupine, longleaf phlox, penstemon, larkspur, woolly sunflower, sticky geranium, mountain bluebells (ciliate), and cushion buckwheat. Many of those are perennial favorites.

For a brief wildflower guide to Mores Mountain (a nearby area), check out this post. For more info about flowers on Bogus Basin and Schafer Butte, check out this guide from the Boise National Forest.