Ingalls Creek — Tuesday, Jun. 11, 2024

Due to a trip report for June 1 by AlpsDayTripper, I actually went to Ingalls Creek for the first time on June 5 to see some of the wildflowers at their prime and it was absolutely gorgeous.  But then I saw MauFin’s June 9 trip report that there were mountain lady slippers that had bloomed and had to go back out there, turning a gym day into a hike day.  It was very interesting to see how much the start of the trail had changed regarding flowers. A lot of the lupine have their pods now. There are still some mariposa lilies. And the butterflies seem to have moved further up the trail to fresher flowers. In addition to the mountain lady slippers being new this week, I also saw Columbia tiger lilies (photo 1) starting to bloom, columbine, and fully bloomed coral root orchid (photo 1). I didn’t go as far as last time as I was primarily coming out to see the mountain lady slippers which were blooming on both sides of a corridor in the 3.25 to 3.5 mile point of the trail. So glad to see them thriving there, what a treat.

I also wanted to mention some wildlife. This is a year to see the great arctic oeneis butterfly (photo 2) that only appears every two years due to their life cycle. And snakes…yes there are most definitely snakes here. I’ve been here only twice now and both times I’ve encountered a snake blocking my path on my way out. On June 5, I didn’t know it at the time and come on…who’s going to assume a snake is harmless…I got to see a northern rubber boa (photo 3). Got to say, the whole thing regarding rattlesnakes being in the area is a bit stressful. So I learned what that one was and why I saw it. Rubber boas are more active and come out at dawn and dusk and yes, I was leaving towards the end of day. But then at 1pm in the middle of the day I had to encounter the dreaded rattlesnake (photo 4, head is to the left). Really?

So I had chosen in advance to not take my dogs with me on this hike. If you do bring your canine friend(s), I highly recommend keeping them on a short leash and preferably behind you. Not only for their safety but also so they don’t possibly trample any of the more delicate flowers.