By Pat Loomis, Conservancy Volunteer

Nope! It’s the Douglas’ grasswidow. One of the first blooming, perennial wildflowers in spring is also called satin flower and blue-eyed grass.  It is a six-petal purple flower on a slender stalk, related to the iris family. The species is named after David Douglas, a botanist and early explorer in the Pacific Northwest.  He first collected specimens in 1826 near Celilo Falls.  The Douglas Fir is also named after him. The grass widow is the only North American species in the genus Olsynium, with the other 11 being in South America.