We have hiked into subalpine meadows in the southern part of our region at the right time on a few occasions and have found ballhead waterleaf in bloom. Hydrophyllum capitatum is a perennial in the waterleaf family. The roots … Continue reading →
We have spotted striped coralroot, spotted coralroot, and yellow coralroot in the forest, often in large clumps. With no green parts, they are easy to identify as coralroots , although it can be more diffucult to decide which one it … Continue reading →
All photos were all taken by the author. All other information is provided through quotes from professional sources, with citations provided. “Deathcamas is one of the first plants to begin growth in the early spring. In the foothills, deathcamas generally … Continue reading →
Rick Tucker provided some photos from a trip to Waterton National Park in June. All of the photos and captions are Rick’s, shared here for us to enjoy. Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption. … Continue reading →
Yellow agoseris is one of my favorites. We have run into patches of these blooms in dry forests, in established, gravelly glades, on south-facing slopes, in burned forests, and on the fringes of open uplands meadows. Agoseris glauca is also … Continue reading →
It is easy to miss the flowering of field chickweed in spring. The low-growing herbs have small flowers and the blooms appear among many of the more noticeable wildflowers, but we stop to admire the semi-transparent petals, arranged around a … Continue reading →
We usually run into mountain forget-me-nots while hiking through alpine meadows. Our first encounter is at lower elevations (Neskonlith Meadows in April), then later in subalpine locations like the alpine meadows on Tod Mountain, in the Marble Range, and in … Continue reading →
A new video now available on YouTube: In 2019, the first arrivals appeared on the first day of spring.
Continue reading →We usually encounter pink monkeyflower in seep zones, seasonal stream channels, and wet meadows in subalpine areas in the mountains in summer. The first time I ran into mimulus lewisii in flower was in 1969 when I hiked around Helm … Continue reading →
We look forward to spotting paintbrush as we hike the trails in late spring and summer. The showy bright red bracts symbolize the arrival of warm weather and the beauty of summer flower meadows. Castilleja miniata or common paintbrush is … Continue reading →
Milkweed emerges in disturbed areas, on the rivershore above the high water mark, and along the sides of paths looking weedy and primitive. When the flowerheads start to emerge we are then reminded of the showy exotic-looking flowers and … Continue reading →
When chicory first emerges, it is not noticed, unobvious with the surge of spring growth, and unremarkable in early stages. It is only when the flowers appear that we stop to notice the weedy-looking plant. In tight clusters chicory can … Continue reading →
