Another lousy wort

Pedicularis bracteosa, June 29, 2022

Common & scientific name
Bracted lousewort, Pedicularis bracteosa

Family
Broomrape, Orobanchaceae

Location
Upper Lost Man TH, 11,600

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Smaller than towering lousewort, Pedicularis procera, but bigger than all the other Pedicularis species, this is commonly found in wetter meadows and forests from the montane to the alpine.  It has the typical fern/ladder-like leaves of the genus, this one with a spike of yellow flowers that begin growing from the bottom up. 

Tricky tansymustards

Descurainia californica, June 28, 2022

D. californica, summit, 12,000’, July 13, 2022

Common & scientific name
Sierra tansymustard, Descurainia californica

Family
Mustard, Brassicaceae

Location
Roadside near Lincoln Creek turnoff, 9,700’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Almost every wildflower has something fun, weird, or otherwise interesting to say about it.  However, when you get into the individual Descurainias, of which we have a handful on the Pass, it gets challenging  They’re all a bit gangly, with small yellow cross-shaped flowers and skinny siliques (seed pods).  These similarities make them trick to tell apart. This one happens to identify as D. californica owing to the size, shape, and stature of its siliques and the shape of its leaves.  If you want more details, you are a worthy botanist

The abundance

Mertensia ciliata, June 28, 2022

M. ciliata, summit 12,200’, July 13, 2022

Common & scientific name
Mountain bluebells, Mertenisa lanceolata

Family
Borage, Boraginaceae

Location
New York Trail, 10,,300’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Mountain bluebells grace wet areas with their delicate pink-to-blue flowers, bluish-green leaves, and sheer abundance.  Standing several feet high, they are often found in the company of subalpine larkspur and monkshood (and here, Sambucus racemosa)

Breathe deep

Platanthera dilatata, June 28, 2022

Common & scientific name
White bog orchid, Platanthera dilatata

Family
Orchid, Orchidaceae

Location
New York Trail, 10,500’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
There may be as many as 35,000 species of orchids worldwide, making the Orchid family the largest family of vascular plants.  With 33 species, Platanthera is the largest genus of orchids found in North America.  

White bog orchid, one of our area’s most common, is found streamside, in ditches, and all manner of wet places.  It has nectar-secreting glands that line the spur (the projection on the backside of the flower) that produce an aromatic, sugary reward to attract pollinators (and that creates a beautiful smell for us, as well).  The shape and length of the spur varies from species to species and is co-adapted to fit the tongue-length of pollinating moths or butterflies.

A thistle to love

Cirsium eatonii, June 28, 2022

Common & scientific name
Eaton’s thistle, Cirsium eatonii

Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae

Location
New York Trail, 10,300

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
First, importantly, not all thistles are “bad”—i.e., non-native  invasives—and indeed with a little time and attention paid can take on a certain charm (in addition to being pollinator favorites).  This thistle is common (but not TOO common) on the Pass, from the montane to the alpine in meadows and forest openings.  It has white, pink, or purple flowers protruding up from its cobwebby head.  Its stem is often dark red (below) and its leaves are spiny.  It has learned well how to protect itself!

Not a lawn dweller

Agoseris aurantiaca, June 28, 2022

Common & scientific name
Orange agoseris, Agoseris aurantiaca

Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae

Location
New York Trail, 10,600’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
There aren’t many true orange flowers in the wild, which may be the reason why this otherwise very dandelion-like flower grabs ones attention.  Like dandelions, Orange agoseris is composed exclusively of ray flowers, and produces a similar seed head.  Unlike dandelions, though, you will not see it lining the roadside or invading your lawn.  It modestly limits itself, in sparing numbers, to dry meadows from the montane to the alpine on the Pass.

Ain't no sunshine (needed)

Corallorhiza trifida June 28, 2022

Common & scientific name
Yellow corralroot, Corallorhiza trifida

Family
Orchid, Orchidaceae

Location
New York Trail, 10,000’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Like other members of its genus, this orchid has no chlorophyll, so it obtains its nutrients not from photosynthesis but through mycorrhizal fungi.  It is found in wet, humus-rich spruce/fir woods or by water. This is a first find for me!

Feel the burn

Urtica dioica, June 28, 2022

Common & scientific name
Stinging nettle, Urtica dioica

Family
Nettle, Urticaceae

Location
Roadside near Lincoln Creek turnoff, 9,700’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
A native plant found only occasionally on the Pass, usually at the base of rock cliffs or slopes where it can find water.  The hollow, stinging hairs on its leaves and stems act like hypodermic needles, injecting histamine and other chemicals that produce a stinging sensation when touched.  Use water to alleviate the sting! 

Black hairs matter

Erigeron melanocephalus, June 28, 2022

Common & scientific name
Blackhead daisy,  Erigeron melanocephalus

Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae

Location
New York Trail, 11,900’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
There’s no mistaking this daisy: the black hairs on the underside of its flower, covering the phyllaries, make this an easy ID in the field.  Found in large numbers in the alpine, growing several inches tall with bright-white to very-pale lavender ray flowers.  Another well-named flower!

E. melanocephalus, 12,000’, Geissler, August 24, 2022

The elephants have arrived!

Pedicularis groenlandica, June 28, 2022

Common & scientific name
Elephanthead, Pedicularis groenlandica

Family
Broomrape, Orobanchaceae

Location
New York Trail, 10,000’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Mother Nature at her most whimsical! Who could not love this faithful reproduction of an elephant’s head on a flower?  Enjoy it for the next month in all high, wet places.

P. groenlandica, roadside, 11,700’, July1, 2022

Satellite saxifrage

Mitella stauropetala, June 28, 2022

Common & scientific name
Side-flowered mitrewort, Mitella stauropetala

Family
Saxifrage, Saxifragaceae 

Location
New York Trail, 10,400’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Oh how I love these miniature satellites, these most delicate, complex, and airy of wildflowers.  It feels like they shouldn’t even be called “flowers,” they are so totally unique. Look (HARD) for them now in moist woods, and be delighted!

Whip's veneration

Penstemon whippleanus, June 28, 2022

Common & scientific name
Whipple’s penstemon, Penstemon whippleanus

Family
Plantain, Plantaginaceae 

Location
New York Trail, 10,000’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Named for the leader of a transcontinental railroad survey team, this is one of our most unforgettable flowers, with its large, tightly-packed, and unusually colored flowers, ranging in our area from deep-purple to wine-colored to nearly white (photo to come).

The cow's bane

Oxypolis fendleri, June 28, 2022

O. fendleri, same

Common & scientific name
Fendler’s cowbane, Oxypolis fendleri

Family
Parsley, Apiaceae 

Location
New York Trail, 10,000’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
A most delicate parsley, usually found growing stream or ditch-side tucked in among larger plants. It can be distinguished from other parsleys by the sheaths at the base of its branches (often just one: see photo below), its pinnate basal leaves, not carrot-like (look carefully in photo to left), small (3”) umbels of white flowers, and overall delicate appearance. Apparently poisonous to cattle, hence the name.

O. fendleri, roadside 11,700’, July 1, 2022

A Colorado native who never left

Penstemon hallii, June 27, 2022

P. hallii, summit, 12,100’, July 9, 2022

Common & scientific name
Hall’s penstemon, Penstemon hallii

Family
Plantain, Plantaginaceae

Location
Summit, 12,200

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
A true blue (well, magenta-purple) Colorado native, this brilliant wildflower, large for the tundra, is found mostly near the Continental Divide and nowhere else on the planet—lucky us!  Don’t miss its brief stay.

Baby blues

Hackelia floribunda, June 27, 2022

Common & scientific name
Many-flowered stickseed, Hackelia floribunda

Family
Borage, Boraginaceae

Location
Roadside, 8,500’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Named after Josef Hackel, an early 19th century Czech botanist, Hackelia floribunda's endearing light-blue flowers become small, flattened nutlets with prickles along the edge, in typical Borage/velcro-like fashion.  This tall, lovely plant is unusual on the Pass—keep your eyes peeled!

Eat but don't touch (?)

Heracleum maximum, June 27, 2022

H. maximum, roadside, 8,500’, July 11, 2022

Common & scientific name
Cow parsnip, Heracleum maximum

Family
Parsley, Apiaceae

Location
Roadside, 8,800’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This giant of the aspen forests is unmistakable, for its height and width, its enormous maple-like leaves, and platter-sized white umbels of flowers.  

This from a fascinating, and just-discovered (by me) website called The Botanist, sponsored by Islay Dry Gin, which brings together and shares recommendations from foragers:  “Cow parsnip has been used historically as fodder for livestock, and the scent of its flowers (the only non-delicious part) is of dung and pigs (to attract midges, flies and hoverflies) perhaps explaining the unglamorous common English name [“Common hogweed," which, needless to say, I will not be using!] . . . . Common hogweed also comes with a health warning. As the leaves develop and start to photosynthesise, it develops a sap that can sensitize the skin to bright sunlight, to the point where a recurring burn appears.”

Not just a pretty face

Bistorta bistortoides, June 27, 2022

Common & scientific name
American bistort, Bistorta bistortoides

Family
Buckwheat, Polygonaceae 

Location
Roaring Fork River, 10,700’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
One of our most common subalpine and alpine flowers.  Bistort has a long history of use by Native Americans as food and for medicinal purposes, and is also favored by many animals.

Worst named flower?

Pedicularis sudetica, June 27, 2022

P. sudetica, Twining, 12,200’, July 1, 2022

P. sudetica, upper Lost Man, 11,600’, July 7, 2022

Common & scientific name
Sudetic lousewort, Pedicularis sudetica

Family
Broomrape, Orobanchaceae

Location
Roaring Fork River, 10,700’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
One of our loveliest flowers, uncommon except in high, wet places (this first species is lower in elevation than typical).  Its swirling flowers, typical of the Pedicularis genus, are distinct for their bright magenta color.  Don’t let its rather ugly name dissuade you—this is one wildflower you don’t want to miss!

P. sudetica, Twining, 12,200’, July 1, 2022

Green with envy

Platanthera aquilonis, June 27, 2022

P. aquilonis, Braille Trail, 10,400’, July 15, 2022

Common & scientific name
Northern green orchid, Platanthera aquilonis

Family
Orchid, Orchidaceae

Location
Roadside, 8,800’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Northern green orchid, like other similar members of the Platanthera genus, is found streamside, in ditches, and all manner of wet places, often alongside White bog orchid. It can be difficult to tell this apart from our other green bog orchid, Platanthera huronenis, also greenish (but perhaps a bit more white on the petals), also hanging out in similar areas. I’m calling this one P. aquilonis based on the shape of the lip (the lower petal sticking straight out), which is wider for longer than P. huronensis and tapers more quickly to a point. Or something like that: good luck and just enjoy the orchid! (Also, the smell is generally not as strong as that of White bog orchid.)

Triangles in nature?

Senecio triangularis, June 27, 2022

S. triangularis, Linkins Lake Trail, 11,600’, July 19, 2022

Common & scientific name
Arrowleaf ragwort, Senecio triangularis

Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae

Location
Roadside, 8,900’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
A tall (up to 5’), leafy senecio with unbranched stems that have numerous, triangle-shaped, toothed leaves, topped by yellow flower clusters of 10 to 30 heads.  It grows near bluebells, monkshood, and other tall, water-loving, subalpine species. Look for the triangle!