In Lewiston, Idaho, the mariposa lilies are beautiful.

In Chelan, Washington, they are different altogether.

And here in the North Okanagan, they have two shades. First, the lilac, slightly brighter than in Chelan, a bit more translucent and with brighter pistils…

… and this (about 5%, on the hill above my house), which brings that intense colour out to the petals…

One very useful map of Cascadia would layout the variations in mariposa lilies, and then map that to variations in human culture and language. A parallel map would follow the changes in the scents of rabbitbrush and big sage, which grow harsher and sharper with every drainage north. Here’s a mariposa lily growing in the shade of a Big Sage. Note how deep the colour is when the sun is off of it! Note how the sage stays bright.

These are deep mysteries.