Shooting Stars
The top specimen is from March 13, 2009, above Ronnie's Swale, the bottom image from April 14, 2008, just below the road as it crosses from Lillian's Peninsula to the bottom of North Flat, just in the creekbed.
This native perennial has a basal rosette of leaves from which arises one or more stalks of flowers. It first blooms in mid March, on the sunny ridges, and will continue into April in shady places. Look for thousands on the ridge above Ronnie's Swale and down along the ridges above Rocky Ridge, or the ridge beyond Buckeye (2009). After blooming for about a month, the stalk and flowers die off, but the plant remains alive underground.