Arnica parryi, July 13, 2022
Common & scientific name
Parry’s arnica, Arnica parryi
Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae
Location
Lower Lost Man, 10,500’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Rayless and nodding, Parry’s arnica is easy to tell apart from our other arnicas, all of which have opposite and (mostly) fuzzy leaves. It was named after the eminent, mid-19th century botanist Charles Parry, for whom many of Colorado’s wildflowers are named.
Chionophila jamesii, July 13, 2022
C. jamesii, July 13, 2022
Common & scientific name
Snowlover, Chionophila jamesii
Family
Plantain, Plantaginaceae
Location
NOT DISCLOSED TO PROTECT THIS RARE PLANT
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Classified as a rare plant of Colorado, the careful observer can find it with some regularity on the high peaks of Independence Pass. It stands 3” high, and its one-sided, cream-colored flowers are the opposite of showy. That being said, it is always a delight to find this snowlover, for three reasons: (1) it looks like no other wildflower, with a subtle, intricate beauty that requires a close-up viewing, (2) it is a rare plant, seen probably by 0.0001% of the world’s population, and you’re one of them!, and (3) if you’re finding it, you’re in the high alpine, which is the definition of delight.
Verbascum thapsus, July 13, 2022
Common & scientific name
Woolly mullein, Verbascum thapsus
Family
Evening primrose, Onograceae
Location
Roadside, 9,800’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
I always thought this roadside weed was good for emergency toilet paper and that was about it.
Alas, the wonderfully rich and detailed USFS Fire Effects Information System taught me otherwise: “Common mullein was likely introduced to the eastern United States more than 230 years ago. Before the Revolutionary War, common mullein seeds were brought and cultivated by early settlers for the easy collection of fish. . . .
Given a seed source and a canopy opening, common mullein is a potential inhabitant of nearly any vegetation or community type. . . .
Self and cross pollination of common mullein flowers are both possible. If by the end of the day an open flower has not been visited by a pollinator, it is self pollinated ("delayed selfing”).”
Cool beans!
Spergularia rubra, July 13, 2022
Common & scientific name
Red sandspurry, Spergularia rubra
Family
Pink, Caryophyllaceae
Location
Lower Lost Man TH, 10,500’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This non-native from Eurasia has been in the US since at least the 1860s, according to Flora of North America, and seems limited in our area to trailhead parking lots. It is a glandular plant with pointed leaves and charming, five-petaled, lavender flowers. A fine parking lot addition!
Erigeron divergens, July 13, 2022
Common & scientific name
Spreading fleabane or daisy, Erigeron divergens
Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae
Location
Roadside, 9,800’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
A densely hairy, late-blooming, highly-branching (hence the name) Erigeron seen low and late on the Pass. Its stem leaves are characteristically almost clasping the stem. Lots and lots of flowers, replacing its earlier-blooming cousin, Erigeron flagellaris.
Mimulus tilingii, July 12, 2022
Common & scientific name
Subalpine monkeyflower, Mimulus tilingii
Family
Snapdragon/Figwort, Scrophulariaceae
Location
Upper Lost Man trailhead, 11,500’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This cheery yellow wildflower can be found along streams, seeps, or ditches in the alpine. “Mimulus” comes from “mimus,” meaning “buffoon," for the clownish appearance of its flower. It is generally shorter in stature and fewer and larger-flowered than M. guttatus, and/but may just be an alpine version of that flower.
Rumex crispus, July 12, 2022
Common & scientific name
Curly dock, Rumex crispus
Family
Buckwheat, Polygonaceae
Location
Roadside near Lincoln Creek turnoff, 9,700’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
A Eurasian non-native, long-lived (50 years!), wind-pollinated so it has no scent. It makes only an occasional appearance on the Pass, generally roadside, and therefore is not a weed of great concern.
Minuartia rubella, July 12, 2022
M. rubella, July 12, 2022
Common & scientific name
Beautiful sandwort, Minuartia rubella
Family
Pink, Caryophyllacaea
Location
Above Linkins Lake, 12,300’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This delicate plant is easy to miss, as it stands just an inch off the ground and a couple inches in diameter. It grows in tufts, has numerous stems, is glandular, and has grass-like leaves. This is the kind of wildflower that one might only discover by stopping to go to the bathroom!
Angelica grayi, July 12, 2022
Common & scientific name
Gray’s angelica, Angelica grayi
Family
Parsley, Apiaceae
Location
Linkins Lake Trail, 11,500’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This alpine carrot is unmistakeable, with its large umbel of greenish flowers and overall stocky demeanor. It is usually found high on the Pass near water in the company of many other flowers and grasses.
Medicago sativa, July 11, 2022
Common & scientific name
Alfalfa, Medicago sativa
Family
Pea, Fabaceae
Location
Roadside, 8,200’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
A quick history of this common roadside, and agriculturally cultivated, plant:
“Alfalfa originated in southwestern Asia, was first cultivated in Iran, and now has a worldwide distribution due to its popularity as an agricultural species. It was introduced into the United States in 1736 in Georgia, but it was not until around 1850 that it began to be more widely planted. It is planted in all 50 states and is widely planted in Canada. It is naturalized in many areas.”
USFS, FEIS website
Medicago lupulina, July 11, 2022
Common & scientific name
Black medick, Medicago lupulina
Family
Pea, Fabaceae
Location
Grottos, 9,500’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Yes, this non-native from Eurasia is the same flower that invades your lawn. However, it is nutritious, loved by bees, and seen in just a handful of roadside locations on the Pass, so not an invasive of concern. The genus name Medicago refers to the region of Iran known as Media, where this plant was believed to have originated.
Convolvulus arvensis, July 11, 2022
Common & scientific name
Field bindweed, Convolvulus arvensis
Family
Morning glory, Convolvulaceae
Location
Weller, 9,100’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
A non-native, perennial vine, it will grow up to three feet high. While a bear to beat back, the good news is, it requires disturbed ground (like roadsides) and can’t tolerate being shaded out by trees or shrubs. For these reasons, its impact as an invasive species on the Pass is minimal.
Cirsium parryi, July 11, 2022
C. parryi, Twin Lakes, 9,200’, August 17, 2022
Common & scientific name
Parry’s thistle, Cirsium parryi
Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae
Location
Roadside, 9,100’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
As I’ve said before, 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 uncommon on the Pass, mostly at mid-elevation (montane), and has distinctly yellow flowers.
Calochortus gunnisonii, July 11, 2022
C. gunnisonii, roadside 9,400’ July 12, 2022
Common & scientific name
Sego lily, Calochortus gunnisonii
Family
Lily, Lilaceae
Location
Roadside, 9,400’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Named after the mid-19th century surveyor and explorer, Captain JW Gunnison, whose expedition discovered this lovely lily for science (and for whom the town to the south is named), it’s hard to think of another wildflower that brings such delight, with its delicate, intricately designed inner cup. Look for it in aspen groves and open meadows on the Pass.
Penstemon procerus, July 9, 2022
Common & scientific name
Small-flowered penstemon, Penstemon procerus
Family
Plantain, Plantiganaceae
Location
Roadside near avalanche, 10,200’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Its name says it all: Penstemon procerus can be distinguished from all other penstemons in our area by its 1/2” long, tightly-packed, blue/purple/magenta flowers. It grows on both sides of the Pass in a variety of habitats, especially the subalpine, but is not as common as many of our other penstemon species.
Campanula rotundifolia, July 9, 2022
C. rotundifolia, July 9, 2022
Common & scientific name
Harebell, Campanula rotundifolia
Family
Bellflower, Campanulaceae
Location
Roadside near avalanche zone, 10,100’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This IS the bluebell of Scotland (not our smaller Mertensia bluebells). The fact that this plant is sometimes found in areas inhabited by hares—rabbits—may explain its common name. It is commonly found on the Pass in the montane and subalpine zones.
C. rotundifolia, roadside, 10,700’, July 28, 2022
Gaultheria humifusa, July 8, 2022
Common & scientific name
Alpine spicy wintergreen, Gaultheria humifusa
Family
Heath, Ericaceae
Location
Discovery/Braille Trail, 10,300’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
An evergreen found in moist subalpine forests, uncommon in our area, even more uncommon to find one of its delightful, but tiny flowers—just a few millimeters in size. Both its leaves and red berries are edible. Thank you, Janis Huggins, for pointing me to this wonderful plant!
Moneses uniflora, July 8, 2022
M. uniflora, Ptarmigan Creek, 10,800’, August 8, 2022
Common & scientific name
Wood nymph, Moneses uniflora
Family
Heath, Ericaceae
Location
Braille trail, 10,300’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Standing just a few inches off the ground, this perennial favorite’s single, nodding flower hides a clever stigma that can take pollen off the back of a visiting bumblebee after the bee has shaken pollen off the flower’s anthers. Look for this shy beauty in moist spruce-fir woods.
Mitella pentandra, July 8, 2022
Common & scientific name
Five-star mitrewort, Mitella pentandra
Family
Saxifrage, Saxifragaceae
Location
Discovery day use area, 10,300’
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!
Draba cana, July 7, 2022
Common & scientific name
Cushion draba, Draba cana
Family
Mustard, Brassicaceae
Location
Above Linkins Lake, 12,400’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Another white alpine draba, this one quite a bit taller and fuller than D. lonchocarpa, standing 6+ inches high, with leaves on its stem, some leaves with teeth, complex hairs on all parts, and (as seen here) with siliques standing straight up.