A perennial favorite

Anemone patens, May 28, 2022

A. patens, ghost town, 10,700’, May 31, 2022

Common & scientific name
Pasqueflower, Pulsatilla patens var. multifida

Family
Buttercup, Ranunculaceae

Location
Twin Lakes, 9,250’ & Independence ghost town, 10,600’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
According to the Flora of North America, this perennial favorite’s elevational range is unusually broad, from 330 to 12,500. It is an early bloomer, starting in April and continuing through August, depending on the elevation and cooler latitudes. It can be found on prairies, open slopes (like this one, a sagebrush meadow, northeast facing), woods, or granite outcrops.

A. patens seedhead, ghost town, June 27, 2022

Elderberry wine, anyone?

Sambucus racemosa, May 28, 2022

Common & scientific name
Red elderberry, Sambucus racemosa

Family
Honeysuckle, Caprifoliaceae

Location
Weller Campground, 9,250’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

The berries of its eastern cousin are used to make wine and for myriad medicinal purposes.  Our berries are safe to eat only after being cooked, and are only marginally palatable.  Leave them for the wildlife!

A marigold's best friend

Trollius albiflorus, May 28, 2022

Common & scientific name
Globeflower, Trollius albiflorus

Family
Buttercup, Ranunculaceae

Location
Roadside, 10,100’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

These newly-blooming flowers will morph from light yellow to white over the next several days.  In addition to Marsh marigolds, Globeflowers can be confused with Narcissus-flowered anemones, Anemone narcissiflora, which bloom a bit later and have hairy stems, where Globeflowers are hairless. 

Goodbye snow, hello marigolds!

Caltha leptosepala, May 28, 2022

C. leptosepala, May 31, 2022

Common & scientific name
Marsh marigold, Caltha leptosepala

Family
Buttercup, Ranunculaceae

Location
Roadside, 10,200’ & lower Lost Man, 10,500’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

As the snow melts and streams & springs emerge, Marsh marigolds follow suit. They often emerge alongside or at the same time as Globeflowers, Trollius albiflorous.  Marsh marigolds can be distinguished by the blue streaks on the back of their flowers, and by their leaves, which are entire, while Globeflowers’ are palmate and cut.

Word of the day: "cleistogamous"

Viola adunca, May 28, 2022

V. adunca var. bellidifolia, with moth, Blue Lake Trail, 11,700’ June 17, 2022

Common & scientific name
Blue violet, Viola adunca & V. adunca var. bellidifolia

Family
Violet, Violaceae

Location
Twin Lakes, 9,250’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

As lovely as violets are, they do not rely on pollinators as their primary means of reproduction.  Rather, certain of a violet plant’s flowers don’t develop pollinator-attracting attributes, never open, and stay underground or emerge only after their seeds mature into fruits.  Such self-fertilizing flowers are “cleistogamous.

V. adunca var. bellidifolia, beaver ponds below summit, 11,300’, June 12, 2022

Shiny, beautiful things

Ranunculus ______-, May 28, 2022

Same, August 17, 2022

Common & scientific name
_______ buttercup, Ranunculus ________

Family
Buttercup, Ranunculaceae

Location
Twin Lakes, 9,250’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

Many of us can recall holding a buttercup up to a friend’s chin and seeing its yellow reflection.  This glossy-reflective property on the outside (but not innermost part) of the buttercup’s petals is water repellent, causing dew or rain to drain off and leave pollen floating just at the level of the stigmas and thus aiding pollination.  Most beautiful adaptations are, indeed, useful, as well!

As for this particular buttercup . . . found in a wet but currently dry meadow next to Twin Lakes, heart-shaped, scalloped basal leaves and clustered simple leaves on stem. Possibly R. macounii but still determining with certainty its species. Feels different than R. inamoenus.

Dozens of flowers in one

Packera neomexicana, May 19, 2022

P. neomexicana x. tridenticulata, May 28, 2022

Common & scientific names

New Mexico groundsel, Packera neomexicana OR P. neomexicana x. Three-toothed groundsel, P. tridenticulata

Family

Sunflower, Asteraceae

Location

Weller Curve, 9,400’ & south-facing rock field 10,100’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

This flower could be a cross, i.e, a hybrid, between the two species named above, with its basal leaves (usually) having three lobes (the “teeth” of “tridenticulata”) and the plant having a hairy, cobwebby appearance overall (like the neomexicana species). Or it could just be P. neomexicana with its leaves rarely or not at all three-lobed like these below.

P. neomexicana, May 31, 2022, Grottos

Free eye test

Collinsia parviflora, May 19, 2022

Common & scientific name
Blue-eyed Mary, Collinsia parviflora

Family
Snapdragon, Scrophulariaceae

Location
Difficult Trail, 8,100’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

This tiniest of flowers—“parviflora” is Latin for “small-flowered”—will test your eyes (or prescription), but will reward you with its intricate, unusual shape and lovely blue and white petals.

The first of three

Valerian occidentalis, May 19, 2022

Common & scientific name
Western valerian, Valerian occidentalis

Family
Valerian, Valerianaceae

Location
Difficult Trail, 8,100’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
The way I distinguish this valerian from V. acutiloba, sharpleaf valerian, is as follows: western valerian characteristically has the three cymes (heads of flowers: kind of person-like, holding up two hands), while sharpleaf generally has one cyme; western doesn’t grown on steep, rocky slopes, like sharpleaf; western’s flowers tend to be white, while sharpleaf usually has a pinkish hue, and western is a bit larger/taller plant overall. Let me know if you have other/better ideas!

Look for me high and low (and hard)

Androsace septentrionalis, May 19, 2022

A. septentrionalis, May 19, 2022

Common & scientific name
Pygmyflower rockjasmine, Androsace septentrionalis

Family
Primrose, Primulaceae

Location
Roadside aspen grove, 8,100’ & Grottos (below), 9,600’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This delightfully delicate primrose has a huge elevational range and a variety of forms to go with it: more compact in the alpine, taller, lankier in the foothills, florally abundant when conditions are right (compare the two photos here).

A. septentrionalis, May 31, 2022

Multi-colored harlequin

Delphinium nuttallianum, May 21, 2022

D. nuttallianum, May 31, 2022

Common & scientific name
Nuttall’s larkspur, Delphinium nuttallianum

Family
Buttercup, Ranunculaceae

Location
Weller Curve, 9,000’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Nuttall’s larkspur is often found in white or lavender morphs, in addition to its classic purple coloring, as seen in this photo. This is the result of a genetic mutation that forces the switching on and off of certain genes that cause parts of a plant to grow without pigmentation. In the case of Nuttall’s larkspur, it doesn’t appear to affect its survivability.

The first of many (daisies)

Erigeron flagellaris, May 19, 2022

Common & scientific name
Whiplash daisy, Erigeron flagellaris

Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae

Location
Difficult Trail, 8,100’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This delightful early-blooming daisy reproduces in part through runners (hence the name “whiplash”) that put down roots and enable it to spread along roadsides and in meadows throughout our valley. Its phyllaries are finely glandular and sparsely hairy.

Pollinators need not apply

Arnica cordifolia, May 19, 2022

A. cordifolia, after snow, Punchbowl, May 21, 2022

Common & scientific name
Heartleaf arnica, Arnica cordifolia

Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae

Location
Difficult Trail, elevation 8,100’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

From the highly excellent online resource, www.swcoloradowildflowers.com: “Since seeds of Arnica cordifolia are produced without fertilization . . . off-spring are genetically identical to their parents. The patches of Arnica cordifolia are, therefore, clones and this accounts for the wide variability of Arnica cordifolia characteristics from one location to another. Since there is no pollination there is no blending of characteristics to a common denominator.” Ah-ha! Look for them in varying form in our evergreen forests everywhere.

A beary important berry

Amelanchier alnifolia, May 19, 2022

Common & scientific name
Serviceberry, Amelanchier alnifolia

Family
Rose, Rosaceae

Location
Difficult Traill, 8,100’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

Like all members of the Rose family, the flowers of Serviceberry shrubs have five petals.  Its berries are eaten by wildlife including birds, rodents, and bears, and the larva of the distinctive, yellow and black Swallowtail butterfly is frequently found here.

A hairy problem

Boechera stricta, May 19, 2022

B. stricta, May 28, 2022

Common & scientific name
Drummond’s rockcress, Boechera stricta

Family
Mustard, Brassicaceae

Location
Difficult Trail, 8,100’ & rock field 10,200’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

The Boechera genus is notoriously difficult to narrow down to species.  They interbreed, they vary within species, and often it’s the microscopic hairs on their leaves and the angle of repose of their siliques (seed pods) that make the difference.  This rockcress, often found under the name B. drummondii, which is tall and common on the Pass, especially in forests and at higher elevations, can be identified by the pick-axe hairs on its basal (ground-level) leaves, and its erect, stem-hugging siliques

Bigger isn't always better

Fragaria virginiana, May 19, 2022

F. virginiana in fruit, roadside 9,800’, July 13, 2022

Common & scientific name
Virginia strawberry, Fragaria virginiana

Family
Rose, Rosaceae

Location
Difficult day use area, 8,100’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

This wild strawberry concentrates all the flavor of the much larger store-bought version into a tiny berry to produce an intense tasting experience. Indeed, it was this species that was originally crossed with F. chiloensis to create the strawberries you buy at the store today. Wild strawberries will likely be found in early July in 2021—early!

These fireworks don't happen every year

Ipomopsis aggregata, May 19, 2022

I. aggregata, second bloom of season, Twin Lakes area, 9,300’, August 17, 2022

Common & scientific name
Scarlet gilia, Ipomopsis aggregata

Family
Phlox, Polemoniaceae

Location
Roadside near Difficult, 8,100’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Scarlet gilia, also know as Fairy trumpet, is among our most flamboyant and unmistakeable wildflowers. Like Old Man of the Mountain, Green Gentian, and other of our well known wildflowers, these gleaming crimson trumpets are monocarpic—that is, they bloom once, after a half dozen or so years of storing up nutrients in their roots, then die.

Visualize whirled peas

Lathyrus lanszwertii, May 19, 2022

Common & scientific name
Lanszwert’s pea, Lathyrus lanszwertii

Family
Pea, Fabaceae

Location
Difficult area roadside, 8,100’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

A common peavine found everyone on the Pass below treeline, especially in Aspen forests and open meadows.  White with a hint of pink or purple guide lines, it turns rust-colored with age.

Cultivating appreciation

Paxistima myrsinites, May 19, 2022

P. myrsinites, May 31, 2022

Common & scientific name
Oregon boxwood, Paxistima myrsinites

Family
Stafftree, Celastraceae

Location
Difficult Trail, 8,100’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

Easy to miss as Oregon boxwood’s tiny, cross-shaped flowers hide within the axils of its evergreen leaves.  It’s worth taking note of these rosy gems, though, because this common shrub will be a constant companion on the lower stretches of the Pass.

All things bright and beautiful

Viola canadensis, May 19, 2022

Common & scientific name
Canada violet, Viola canadensis

Family
Viola, Violaceae

Location
Difficult Trail, 8,200’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

Canada violets, found scattered throughout our woods, are unmistakeable.  They have heart-shaped leaves, bright white petals, and purple lines guiding pollinators to their yellow center.  Here they will come into contact with pollen, which will stick to their legs or bodies and be carried to the next flower for cross-pollination.  Cross-pollination allows for the exchange of genetic information among plants, leading to the extraordinary diversity we see on our hikes.