The mountains are a haven for wildflowers. Each year, spring is little more than a theoretical concept until the first spring flowers provide the evidence that winter may actually be over. If you were to ask a local to name the first flower to emerge in spring, almost all would indicate the prairie crocus. These beautiful purple flowers add colour to sun-baked grassy slopes and fields as early as late April. They are not alone, other wildflowers like the arrow-leaved coltsfoot, often bloom even earlier than the more showy crocus.

As the month continues, more and more plants begin to emerge. Towards month-end, the delicate calypso orchid adds a splash of colour to the needle carpeted floor of the lodgepole pine forest. These tiny pink orchids form loose groupings beneath the pine canopy. The flower has a small, pink upper lip above a large lower lip (the part that resembles a slipper). Looking into the flower, the lower lip is the largest part of the flower. It has deep purple stripes near its base, with some purple spots towards the tip.

Near the end of May, the Canadian Buffaloberry produces some inconspicuous flowers and nearby, bearberry (kinnikinnick) plants also begin to bloom.