Wildflowers in the wilderness
Two blocks from downtown Coeur d’Alene lies an urban wilderness park.
On the Fourth of July weekend, it would be hard to make a case for Tubbs Hill being a lonely place. But in the spring when the entire hill is covered with wildflowers, hardly another person can be seen. The spring wildflower display is an impressive natural event that is easy to miss.
Spring wildflowers have been a marker that winter is over and warm weather finally is forthcoming in our area.
Of course, these brightly colored plants were rooted here way before we put down our own roots. In the process of building roads, farms, strip malls and subdivisions, humans have scraped, plowed and eliminated the wildflowers in most of our communities. Grass, ornamental bushes and exotic plants have replaced them.
Tubbs Hill is an opportunity to see what spring was like on the ponderosa pine forest floor that covered most of this land that we call Kootenai County. Tubbs Hill is unique because the earth has not been extensively disturbed since non-Indians arrived in the area.
Consequently, people who are willing to venture out of their homes in the spring will discover a very special place. The color yellow seems to dominate, but purple, white, red and orange will be mixed into the slopes and around the rock outcroppings.
The real show is the individual flowers. The most obvious are the dogtooth violet and later the sunflowers. But the small and fragile lady-slippers can be found if you look under the bushes.
The display lasts about five to six weeks with an amazing succession of different flowers. But some individual flowers may last only three or four days. Several trips spaced by five or six days will reveal flowers that hadn’t been seen on previous trips.
If you want to experience Tubbs Hill and learn something about nature and local history, pick up the brochure “Tubbs Hill Nature Trails” at the Parks and Recreation office on the lower floor of Coeur d’Alene City Hall just south of the library that is under construction.
The information includes a map of Tubbs Hill that shows 27 numbered points of interest. For example, stop No. 14 is Grandstand – “The concrete footings are all that remain of a once impressive grandstand. Erected in 1914, it was a favorite spot of thousands for viewing Independence Day celebrations, rowing regattas and powerboat races. …”
People who are really interested in spring wildflowers can pick up another free brochure, “Early Spring Wildflowers of North Idaho,” at the Fernan office of the U.S. Forest Service/Idaho Panhandle National Forests on East Sherman near Fernan Lake.
Several flowers are described, with drawings of the plants that can be used on the Tubbs Hill walk to identify the flowers. The brochure also includes interesting facts about each wildflower, things you probably wouldn’t know even if you recognize the flowers.
For example, one of the showiest, most beautiful and common yellow flowers is the dogtooth violet, also known as a glacier lily. Under “edible and medicinal value,” the Forest Service brochure states: “The bulbs of this lily were only an occasional food source for Indians. These deep-seated bulbs were difficult to dig and probably contributed to the fact that they were used infrequently by the Indians. The bulbs can be eaten raw or boiled and the leaves can be eaten as a salad plant. The bulbs and leaves occasionally impart a burning sensation.”
Tubbs Hill is a city park, so don’t harvest any dogtooth violets for your evening meal – or any other kind of flower, for that matter.
The hill’s namesake is Tony Tubbs, a German immigrant who filed a claim in 1889 on most of the land that now makes up the park. The hill includes 135 acres, and it’s about a two-mile walk around it.
It is interesting to follow the entire hill trail, including crossing a suspension bridge, because the east side is much shadier and less-exposed to the sun and wind than the west side. Consequently, wildflowers like lady-slippers will be found only on the east and north side of Tubbs Hill.
The wildflower display in this urban wilderness park can be spectacular. The plants emerge and flower during a short window of time in the spring.
One trip around the hill will not do justice to the varieties and colors that can be seen. The plants flower in a succession of colors.
Check out this nearby natural event, and along the way, learn some things about the geology and history of this area. Here is a free weekend afternoon family experience.