Psyched to smell a skunk

Polemonium confertum x viscosum, June 23, 2023

Polemonium confertum, Twining Peak, 12,500’, June 29, 2023

Polemonium confertum, Mt. Massive, 14,100’, July 4, 2023

Polemonium confertum, Geissler, 13,000’, July 21, 2023

Common & scientific name

Sky pilot, Polemonium viscosum and Rocky Mountain sky pilot, Polemonium confertum

Family

Phlox, Polemoniaceae

Location

Mt. Champion, 12,500’

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! Sky pilot, a common but striking tundra flower, sometimes goes by the name “Skunkweed,” owing to the strong odor it sometimes puts out.

The photos here are of the two close species, P. confertum—widely flaring, light blue or blue-purple flower, like the photo bottom left—and P. viscosum, more tubular and deeper purple, as seen below.

P. viscosum, Twining Peak, 13,000’, June 29, 2023

Polemonium confertum, Geissler, 13,000’, July 21, 2023