Rocky Mountain Regal

Penstemon strictus, June 16, 2022

P. strictus, roadside 8,700’, June 20, 2022

P. strictus. roadside, 10,400’, July 28, 2022

Common & scientific name
Rocky Mountain penstemon, Penstemon strictus

Family
Plantain, Plantaginaceae

Location
Roadside, 8,300’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

In her fabulous local guide, Wild at Heart, Janis Huggins notes that “with more than 250 species . . . [penstemon] is the largest genus of flowering plants native to North America and one that is still actively evolving—closely related species in the same vicinity readily hybridize.”  This being said, it is impossible to mistake our regal Rocky Mountain penstemon for any other kind.  It grows only near the bottom of the Pass in sunny, dry areas, and is by far the tallest and lightest blue-lavender of the Pass’s half-dozen species.

P. strictus, Weller, 9,500’, July 11, 2022

Red clover, red clover . . .

Trifolium pratense, June 16, 2022

Common & scientific name
Red Clover, Trifolium pratense

Family
Pea, Fabaceae

Location
Roadside, 8,300’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Seen in every part of the valley, from backyards up to tree line, Red clover hails from Europe and Asia, has pretty pink heads, two-toned leaves, and grows tall if it needs to compete with other plants to reach the sun, staying lower if on bare ground.  Like all peas, it is a nitrogen-fixer (more on that later), therefore good for the soil and mostly endured by weed fanatics even though it is non-native.

The shrubby one

Potentilla fruticosa, June 16, 2022

Common & scientific name
Shrubby cinquefoil, Potentilla fruticosa

Family
Rose, Rosaceae

Location
Difficult, 8,100’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This plant has gone through more than a half-dozen name changes since Carl Linnaeus first stamped the binomial system onto it in the mid-1700s, beginning with “Potentilla fruticosa.”  Its flowers are very potentilla (or cinquefoil)-like, but not its essential shrub nature (a “shrub” being defined as a woody plant which is smaller than a tree and has persistent woody stems above the ground, unlike herbaceous plants).  It can be seen almost everywhere on the Pass.

Alpine cinquefoil

Potentilla nivea, June 14, 2022

P. nivea, Blue Lake area, 12,350’, June 17, 2022

Common & scientific names
Snow cinquefoil, Potentilla nivea

Family
Rose, Rosaceae

Location

Above Linkins Lake, 12,300’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known facts
Our most common alpine cinquefoil, its three-parted leaves are densely white/hairy below, greener on top (but still hairy). There is substantial confusion/flux around a number of potentillas, including this one (does it include P. uniflora, for example?), and they do tend to hybridize. But for now most experts seem to agree this cinquefoil is properly classified. For now, anyway . . .

Down, girl

Draba lonchocarpa, June 14, 2022

D. lonchocarpa, Blue Lake area, 12,350’, June 17, 2022

Common & scientific name
Lancepod draba, Draba lonchocarpa

Family
Mustard, Brassicaceae

Location
Above Linkins Lake, 12,300’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This draba is relatively easy to identify owing to its tiny (2”) stature, complex leaf hairs, and especially its white petals. This delicate alpine flower will only be found with careful looking.

D. lonchocarpa, Blue Lake area, 12,350’, June 17, 2022

A hairy beast

Draba aurea, June 14, 2022

D. aurea, Blue Lake area, 12,350’, June 17, 2022

D. aurea in fruit and flower, above Linkins Lake, July 7, 2022

Common & scientific name
Golden draba, Draba aurea

Family
Mustard, Brassicaceae

Location
Above Linkins Lake, 12,300’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Ah, the wonderful yellow alpine drabas!  Time to get the microscope out to study the hairs on its leaves, the only way to tell the various species apart.  This Draba’s hairs are dense, overlapping each other in a tangled mess of cruciform (4-forked) hairs on top of short stalks, giving the plant an overall grayish-green look.  This highly variable species can (sometimes, maybe) be distinguished from its close cousin, Draba helleriana, by (usually) the lack of teeth on the edge of its leaves, and its slightly smaller overall stature. Both are (possibly) common on the Pass, unless they’re not: Ackerman does not place D. helleriana in Pitkin or Lake Counties.

D. aurea in fruit and flower, above Linkins Lake, 12,300’, July 7, 2022

In the cross hairs

Wyethia amplexicaulis x. arizonica, June 14, 2022

Common & scientific name
Mules ears, Wyethia amplexicaulis x. arizonica, aka Wyethia x. magna

Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae

Location
Difficult road, 8,100’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

Our local Mules ears are unusual in that their leaves have a rough-hairy texture, while most W. amplexicaulis plants are smooth and hair-free.  William Weber, the foremost authority on Colorado wildflowers, says ours is “a stable hybrid population stemming from a time when the Pleistocene climate compressed the range, bringing this species into close contact with W. arizonica.”

A pretty potentilla

Potentilla pulcherrima, June 14, 2022

Common & scientific names
Beautiful cinquefoil, Potentilla pulcherrima

Family
Rose, Rosaceae

Location
Difficult Trail, 8,200’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known facts

Cinquefoils all have basically the same-looking flower (except P. arguta, which is white),  hence I am not including a flower photo here. With the cinquefoils, everything depends on their leaves and their location/elevation.

P. pulcherrima is abundant throughout our area at lower elevations (never alpine).  As you’ll see in the photo, P. pulcherrima’s leaflets extend out from a single point. They are green on the “front” side and fuzzy-white-hairy on the “back” (photo of back to come!)

Meet me by the lake

Kalmia microphyllla, June 14, 2022

K. microphylla, Halfmoon Lake, 12,000’, June 18, 2022

Common & scientific name
Alpine laurel, Kalmia microphylla

Family
Heath, Ericaceae

Location
Linkins Lake, 12,000’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

Is there any more delightful sight than coming upon a high alpine lake or stream lined with Kalmia?  Its bright pink petals are fused into a shallow, saucer-shaped bowl, with anthers that are held under spring-like tension until a large-bodied pollinator (like a bumblebee) triggers the stamen and is showered by pollen.  Kalmia was named after one of the star pupils of Carl Linnaeus (the inventor of the binomial system and botanist extraordinaire), Peter Kalm, who collected 60 new species for Linnaeus in North America in 1748, including Alpine laurel.

K. microphylla, Halfmoon Lake, 12,000’, June 18, 2022

Fuzzy, wasn't he?

Castilleja occidentalis, June 15, 2022

C. occidentalis, summit, 12,000’, July 13, 2022

C. occidentalis, summit, 12,000’, July 13, 2022

Common & scientific name
Western Indian paintbrush, Castilleja occidentalis

Family
Broomrape, Orobanchaceae

Location
Summit, 12,100’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
What a wonderful alpine fuzzball this is!  Especially when it hybridizes with other paintbrushes like the magenta C. rhexifolia to create tie-dyed, striped wonders.  

While there is much discussion among botanists about the proper classification of paintbrushes, including the genetic difference (if any) between C. occidentalis and the similarly yellowish-white C. sulphurea (also called C. septentrionalis), the two are readily distinguishable in the field by their elevation (C. occidentalis is an alpine plant, C. sulphurea is found lower), their size (C. occidentalis is shorter), and their fuzziness factor (C. occidentalis wins!) It also crosses with other high-elevation Castillejas like C. rhexifolia and C. miniata to create colorful, striped versions, like those below.

C. occidentalis x. rhexifolia, Scott Lake area, 12,200’, July 4, 2022

Another cross, valley below Top Cut, 11,400’, August 9, 2022

Looks good, smells good, tastes . . . well . . .

Rosa woodsii, June 14, 2022

R. woodsii, avalanche path, 10,200’, July 9, 2022

Common & scientific name
Wood’s rose, Rosa woodsii

Family
Rose, Rosaceae

Location

Difficult Campground, 8,100’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

There are few flowers that cry for attention like Wood’s rose, between its swoony smell and showy flowers ranging in color from light pink to deep magenta. Found most often on the Pass in Aspen groves or roadside, its fruits (“rose hips”) are known for their nutritional value and high vitamin c content, but I’ve generally found them to have a mealy texture and bland taste. I am grateful to the Southwest Colorado Wildflowers website for suggesting they are best eaten after several frosts!

A culinary delight

Cornus sericea, June 14, 2022

Common & scientific name
Redosier Dogwood, Cornus sericea

Family
Dogwood, Cornaceae

Location
Difficult, 8,200’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This lovely, water-loving shrub is enjoyed by dozens of our local animals: its stems and shoots are browsed by moose, elk, deer, bighorn sheep, beavers, and smaller rodents, and its berries are eaten in the fall by bear, rabbits, squirrels, and many birds, including woodpeckers.

Narcissim on display

Anemone narcissiflora, June 14, 2022

Common & scientific name
Narcissus anemone, Anemone narcissiflora

Family
Buttercup, Ranunculaceae

Location
Linkins Lake TH, 11,500’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
A flower named Narcissus would have LOVED all the attention it gets from scientists!  From the authoritative E-Flora:  “The taxonomy of this highly variable, widespread species is extremely controversial. The conservative approach taken here most closely approximates S.L. Welsh's (1974) treatment for the Alaskan varieties. E. Hultén's discussion (1941-1950, vol. 4, pp. 735-736) of local races and the variation within this species, however, clearly illustrates the need for a thorough biosystematic investigation. Recognition of about 12 varieties is in light of S. V. Juzepczuk's (1970) work; however, he elevated local races to specific rank in his treatment.”  What a complex character, indeed!

What I KNOW is that Anemone narcissiflora can be distinguished from the habitat-sharing, similar-looking Globeflower by its hairy stem, and from Marsh marigold by its divided (rather than simple, smooth-edged) leaves

Happy to smell a skunk

Polemonium viscosum, June 14, 2022

P. viscosum, summit, 12,200’, June 27, 2022

P. viscosum/confertum, Geissler, 13,100’, July 7, 2022

Common & scientific name
Sky pilot, Polemonium viscosum/confertum

Family
Phlox, Polemoniaceae

Location
Near summit, 12,100’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

If you’ve ever been scrambling along a rocky alpine ridge and swore you smelled a skunk, you were (sort of) correct!  Polemonium viscosum, a common but striking tundra flower, sometimes goes by the name “Skunkweed,” owing to the strong odor it sometimes puts out.  Like its faunal namesake, however, it is a beauty to behold, no matter the smell.  So hold your nose and thank your lucky stars for being where you are: in the magnificent alpine among the magnificent Sky pilot!

P. viscosum, Geissler, 13,200’, July 7, 2022

P. viscosum, Top Cut 12,100’, July 14, 2022

At home in the great white north

Silene acaulis, June 14, 2022

S. acaulis, Blue Lake area, 12,500’, June 17, 2022

Common & scientific name
Moss campion, Silene acaulis

Family
Pink, Caryophyllaceae

Location
Above Linkins Lake, 12,200’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This perennial favorite of the high alpine occurs in almost all arctic and alpine habitats throughout the northern hemisphere.  It reaches as far south as Arizona and as far north in Greenland well above the arctic circle, within twenty-five miles of the most northern growing of any plant.  And according to extensive studies done on this alpine jewel in the 1950s in Rocky Mountain National Park, its roots go down as far as six feet—hard to believe in the (very) Rocky Mountains

Berry unappetizing

Symphoricarpos rotundifolius, June 14, 2022

Common & scientific name
Roundleaf snowberry, Symphoricarpos rotundifolius

Family
Honeysuckle, Caprifoliaceae

Location
Difficult Campground, 8200’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This common shrub, native to the western United States, produces a white berry apparently enjoyed by no one: birds, animals, or people. Its dainty pink and white flowers, though, deserve a close look!

A wonder of creation

Thalictrum fendleri, male, June 14, 2022

Thalictrum fendleri, female, June 14, 2022

Common & scientific name
Fendler’s meadowrue, Thalictrum fendleri

Family
Buttercup, Ranunculaceae

Location
Difficult Campground, 8,100’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

This is one of my favorite wildflowers.  First, unusually, its plants come in male and female versions.  The first flower shown at left, reminiscent of a tasseled lampshade, is male.  The female version below is star-like, akin to skinnier versions of False Solomon’s seal.  They love aspen groves, and their leaves look like columbines’. In their intricacy, they are wonders of nature!

Patience pays

Ceanothus velutinus, June 14, 2022

Common & scientific name
Snowbrush, Ceanothus velutinus

Family
Buckthorn, Rhamnaceae

Location
Difficult, 8,100’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

A native evergreen shrub growing 2-9 feet tall with shiny, sticky leaves, its fruit is a capsule a few millimeters long which snaps open explosively to expel the three seeds onto the soil, where they may remain buried for well over 200 years before sprouting

Another daisy for your delight

Erigeron pinnatisectus, June 12, 2022

Common & scientific name
Cutleaf daisy, Erigeron pinnatisectus

Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae

Location
Beaver ponds below summit, 11,300’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Its finely-cut leaves and large, light-purple heads distinguish Erigeron pinnatisectus from other subalpine and alpine daisies.  It is common on our rocky tundra.

E. pinnatisectus, Twining, 12,200’, July 1, 2022

A rare find

Draba globosa, June 12, 2022

D. globosa, Blue Lake area, 12,350’, June 17, 2022

Common & scientific name
Beavertip draba, Draba globosa

Family
Mustard, Brassicaceae

Location
Lower Twining, 12,500’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
A rare alpine draba, standing an inch high, with a tight mat of leaves. Its stem and leaves are mostly glabrous (non-hairy), somewhat glandular, with a few stiff hairs along the leaf edges and an extra-thick and stiff, terminal hair at the apex of the leaf (hence the “beavertip”—although not exactly sure what that means). This one is easy to miss!

D. globosa, Twining, 13,000’, July 1, 2022