This snow plant has just popped from the ground.
Snow Plant (Sarcodes sanguinea Torr.) This plant is a fungi that feeds off the roots of conifers.
While returning from shopping in Susanville, I drove a back road and came upon an area loaded with snow plants. They pop from the ground in spring shortly after the snow melts and are quite beautiful. My Grandmother used to point them out whenever she spotted one.
Here’s a photo of a bunch of plants that are more mature, but also a little fried from sunlight. They don’t last too long in the sun and are found in the pine needles underneath large conifers.
Group of snow plants.
I’ve never seen these plants in the wild. Very unusual looking. Technically they are flowering plants which are parasitic. They are associated with fungi that provide them with nutrients since they lack chlorophyll.