The Hills Are Alive . . .

You may recognize the preceding line as the opener to the perdurable hit movie, “The Sound of Music” in reference to beautiful music wafting through the mountain meadows of the Austrian Alps.

Here in the western United States however, it might better describe the awesomely beautiful spring foliage that many people refer to as Sunflowers. I’ve even heard them erroneously called “Buttercups.”

The proper name for these gorgeous, massive outgrowths of yellow flowers is Arrowleaf Balsom root, and many of the afore mentioned folks will be happy to know that the plant is actually a member of the Sunflower family, and can correctly be referred to as “Oregon Sunflowers.” Why Oregon, when the plant grows prolifically throughout twelve western states and the two westernmost provinces of Canada, remains a mystery to me.

At any rate, if you desire to call them Sunflowers, go right ahead. Any decent horticulturist shouldn’t condemn you for that. Just don’t call them Buttercups!!!

The blooms came on early this year and unless we are cursed with an abnormally dry spring, you can expect them to grace our hills and mountains until early to middle June. They grow from the depths of Hells Canyon around 1500 feet elevation to heights in our mountains around 7000 feet. Hot, dry weather will toast them, and well before July they’ll just be a fading memory of their springtime splendor.

Hoping to avoid a further exhaustive diatribe about a plant, let me leave you with a little further enlightenment, courtesy of the USFS website and then we’ll call it good.

“Nearly all parts of this plant were used as food by various Native American groups. The roots may be baked or steamed and eaten, as well as the young shoots. The immature flower stems could be peeled and eaten; the flowers themselves are good browse for wildlife. Balsamroot seeds are nutritious and oil-rich, another good source of food. The root could be used as a coffee substitute and was also used medicinally.”

So there you have it. It’s not only pretty to look at, but if bad comes to worse, you can eat or drink the thing and survive.

Meanwhile, just enjoy the splendor!