Naked broomrape growing in a small wet meadow in Pass Creek.
Naked broomrape (Orobanche uniflora) – what a terrible name for a delightful spring flower. Notice the single flowers (uniflora) on yellow leafless (naked) stems. Naked broomrape has no need for leaves as it gets its nutrition from other plants and no longer photosynthesizes for itself.
This cluster of plants was growing in a wet meadow in Pass Creek, and can be seen on shallow moist soils in forest openings throughout the spring. The plants will always grow near their host plants, in this case, likely the buttercup-leaved suksdorfia, also seen in the phot0.
The Orobanchaceae (broomrape) family is a large plant family that is parasitic on the roots of other plants.
Read more about naked broomrape at eflora BC. http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Orobanche uniflora