Butte County fritillary facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Butte County fritillary |
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Fritillaria phaeanthera Eastw. 1933, illegitimate homonym, not Purdy 1932 |
The Butte County fritillary (also called Fritillaria eastwoodiae) is a special and rare flower. It belongs to the Lily family, just like the lilies you might see in a garden! This unique plant grows in the lower parts of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains. You can find it in California and southern Oregon.
What Does the Butte County Fritillary Look Like?
This beautiful flower can grow quite tall, from about 20 to 80 centimeters. That's like a small ruler to almost a meter! Its stem has a cool, pale blue-green color, which is called glaucous.
The leaves of the Butte County fritillary are long and thin. They are shaped like a narrow spear. The flowers themselves hang downwards, like they are "nodding" their heads.
Each flower has parts called tepals. These are like petals and sepals all in one. The tepals on this flower are slightly flared and curve backwards a little. The color of the flowers can be very interesting! They might be greenish-yellow with spots, or a mix of red, orange, green, and yellow spots.
Where Does This Flower Grow?
The Butte County fritillary likes to grow in dry, open woodlands. It also lives in areas called chaparral, which are places with shrubs and small trees. You can find it at heights from 500 to 1500 meters above sea level.
In California, this flower grows in several counties, including Shasta, Yuba, Tehama, Butte, and El Dorado. It has also been seen in Jackson County in Oregon.
This plant often grows near other types of fritillary flowers. It blooms in the spring, usually from March through May. Sometimes, you can even find it growing in special soils called serpentine soils.
