iN PHOTOS: Late winter blooms a sign of spring in Kamloops, Okanagan

A few late winter flowers are blooming in Kamloops and the Okanagan, adding little pops of colour to backyards and landscapes at a dreary time of year while heralding the beginning of spring.

These hardy late winter flowers are able to withstand late frosts and even emerge through snow and include snowdrops, crocus, daphne and hellebores.

One of the first flowers to bloom every year in the Thompson-Okanagan region is the sagebrush buttercup that is found growing in the grasslands and along roadsides with buttery, soft petals and bold yellow colouring.

The small wildflowers begin appearing throughout B.C.’s grasslands just after the snow melts and continuing blooming through to May, according to Nature Watch. The flowers have tiny, hairy seeds that hook onto fur or clothing to be carried and spread to new locations.

The buttery petals of a sagebrush buttercup shine bright in the sun in Kelowna in March. iNFOnews.ca/ Ian Walker

Varietals that will be appearing soon include daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and primroses, according to Gardening With Ben. 

Late winter and early spring flowers are not only beautiful, they play a role in pollination by providing nectar for early emerging bees and insects.

If you have photographs of early blooms you want to share, send them to news@infonews.ca.

Bleeding heart flowers push through soil in the South Okanagan in March. iNFOnews.ca/ Jodi Forster

Hyacinth in Kamloops is spotted in mid-bloom in March. iNFOnews.ca/ Cara Beckett

A beautiful sagebrush buttercup blooms in Merritt. iNFOnews.ca/ Clapperton Ranch

A bright crocus pops up in a garden in Kamloops in March. iNFOnews.ca/ Cara Beckett

The magenta petals of daphne bloom in Kamloops in March. iNFOnews.ca/ Anne Ritcey