snowflower

Two bright red snowflowers on the forest floor.

The bloody flesh-like thing

on

This strange little thing is called a snowflower or snow plant, and it is found fairly commonly in giant sequoia forests and other coniferous montane areas of California, Oregon, and Nevada. These common names are far friendlier than its scientific name, Sarcodes sanguinea, which translates roughly to “bloody flesh-like thing," in reference to the bright red color of the entire plant.