Lathyrus Torreyi

Day 299: I just had to have a pea. I can't take credit for this find of Lathyrus torreyi (Torrey's Peavine), a plant on the state's list of rarities. No, the information on where to find it came to me from the manager of the Burke Herbarium who got it from one of his colleagues. She had reported it from this SECRET location previously in 2017 and had seen it again recently. She alerted David, David alerted me, Arnie and other Park staff, and I emailed my botany partners, afraid that I wouldn't be able to document it myself, thanks to a Post Office screw-up which failed to forward my license tab renewal to me before my tags expired. I've been waiting for the new ones to arrive, which they did late yesterday. I was so excited about L. torreyi that I couldn't sleep last night and bounced out of bed at 4:30 this morning, grabbed a quick breakfast and was out the door a little after 5 so that I could arrive on site without risking contact with another human.

Don't let the photo fool you. This is a small, vetch-like legume, not a full-sized "sweet pea" flower. Most of the blossoms had withered since the plant had been sighted by David's colleague, but I was able to find two still fresh, if perhaps a little pale. They are normally somewhat darker blue. The site where L. torreyi occurs is at the extreme northern edge of its range, and as I said, it is considered rare in Washington. I'm glad I got to see it.