This weekend kicks off the Pandemic postponed Washington State Apple Bloom Festival in Wenatchee. I’d like to nominate a spectacular native wildflower, Lewisiopsis tweedyi, to be this year’s June substitute for the long-past apple blossoms of April. I boldly suggest that this eye-catching native plant be invited into the Royalty Court, and maybe even elevated to be an Apple Blossom Princess!

We locals like to call it Wenatchee Rock Rose, and others call it Tweedy’s lewisia. In all the world, it only grows in our neck-in-the-woods, something botanists call an endemic species. It turns out, our Wenatchee Mountains have the highest concentration of endemic plants in all of Washington. 35 are state-classified as rare plants and 30 more are “just” endemics. Read more about these endemics on a prior blog post here.

The story goes that this plant was found near Mt. Stuart in 1882 by Frank Tweedy, who introduced it to the non-indigenous world. He was working for the U.S. Geological Service doing a survey for a future railroad in the Wenatchee Mountains. Frank’s story is well-told in two sweet blog posts, here, and here.

As with all other native plants, it is an ethical best practice to leave it in place, and to resist the temptation to transplant it to your home landscape. Luckily, It has long been ethically propagated and grown by the specialty nursery trade and is a favorite for rock gardeners. Locally, Derby Canyon Natives is place for a plant enthusiast to purchase a nursery-grown plant.

What if getting out to glimpse this showcase species was as much as part of our community’s festival as attending the parade, the food fair, or the carnival? I invite you to venture out in the next few weeks to feast your eyes on our Wenatchee Mountain specialty as a perfect way to celebrate Apple Blossom Festival!

The list below are places you can drive to within less than 30-minutes from Wenatchee, and walk less than 1/4-mile to find and see blooming plants. Thanks to Wenatchee Outdoors Trail Guides for directions and details:

Clara Lake Trail: Mission Ridge Ski Area Parking Lot: Hike 1/4-mile up the trail to get to rock talus slopes. Make it a loop, using the pipeline trail!

Devil’s Spur Trail: Drive the road to Mission Ridge, pass Squilchuck State Park and park at the big turn in the road.

Icicle Creek Road: Drive from downtown Leavenworth 2-6 miles, and keep your eye’s on the rocky outcrops all along the road. Consider stopping at any of the USFS campgrounds or trailheads that take up uphill on the Icicle Ridge side of the road. The 4th of July trail is good one to explore on foot for as long as you have time for.

Tumwater Canyon: Drive from Leavenworth on Highway 2, pulling out at the viewpoints on either side of the road. The Penstock Pipeline Trail would be a good place to park and do a short walking exploration looking for plants.

Mad River: Drive from Entitat up the Mad River Road that takes you to USFS Trailheads.