Common camas: Camassia quamash

Common camas: Camassia quamash

Why it's choice: Am I blue? When Lewis and Clark first saw meadows of common camas, Lewis wrote, "The color of its bloom resembles lakes of clear water." Even just a few bulbs of this member of the lily family will bring a patch of sky to your yard.

What it can do in the garden: The clusters of star-shaped blue flowers will come back spring after spring, offering nectar to butterflies and hummingbirds. Combine it in a border with other bulbs, like delicate yellow jonquils or brazenly pink tulips, for a cheerful spring show.

Where to see it: In May, visit the Mima Mounds south of Olympia for a jaw-dropping display of common camas and other wildflowers in their at-risk native habitat — the South Sound prairie. Locally, look for common camas in native-plant demonstration gardens at Seward Park and Magnuson Park.

The facts: Enjoy the flowers now, but plant the small egg-shaped bulbs in the fall, about 4 inches deep. Drought-tolerant common camas grows best in full sun, where it has plenty of water in the winter and spring but can dry out in the summer.

And hey, can't you eat the bulbs? Well, you can, but watch out. While camas bulbs were an important staple food for native Northwest peoples east and west of the Cascades, preparation took some doing and some caution.

The bulbs and grass-like leaves of common camas are easy to confuse with those of the aptly named Death Camas (Zigadenus venenosus), so even though the flowers are different colors, mixups and fatalities can occur. Not only that, but if common camas bulbs aren't cooked properly, they can cause gale-force flatulence!

You can find out more information about native plants, including where to buy them, from the Washington Native Plant Society, www.wnps.org.

Sarah Gage is a writer and botanist who gardens in Seattle: sgage@seanet.com.

She is affiliated with the Washington Native Plant Society.